Love You Forever
by mspstar97
Summary: There is a girl who was at Hogwarts. You may not have heard of her, but she was always there...in the room, in people's thoughts, steadfast in their hearts. Her name is Milly, and this is her story.
1. Chapter 1: Bloody Beginning

**My first fic ever on this site! So excited!**

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><p>You could say I had an intense intelligence when I was two, and I wouldn't deny it. I was acutely aware of my surroundings and I could talk, both of these features made what happened to me in my early years scar me for the rest of my life.<p>

It was March 31st, 1980. The war against Voldemort was in full swing, and I… well, I was a two year old who was scared to death and wanted her mother and father. But, my mom and dad were Muggles; they had no idea of what was going on, except for the fact that there seemed to be an extremely dangerous serial killer around, an extreme depression in stock prices, and a nasty weather spell, all of which led to a dreadful mood overall. And, because of my Muggle heritage, I had no true idea of what really was going on, and like all the Muggles, I was clueless to the murders being done by flicks of evil wands. Also like the rest of the Muggles, I was scared. I was scared and desperate for security, I reached for my mother and father in times like this, and they were only too glad to hold me.

I heard a bang, saw a flash of light, and all anguish broke loose. People were running and screaming because a bloody, mangled corpse had dropped from the sky and into the center of the park across the street from our home. My parents came running into the house, and I said, my voice tremulous and shrill, "Mommy, Daddy, what's happening?"

They both looked at me and my mom said, "Sweetie, I know this is immensely scary for you, but you need to trust us all right? We will do everything in our power to protect you, but you need to trust us and do as we say. Can you do that for us?"

Not knowing what else to do, I nodded. "Good," said my mom, "Now, Daddy will take you up to the shrine, and I'll come up with some food and water, and then we'll tell you what's going on, OK?"

I rushed into my father's arms, and he rushed me upstairs. My mom soon followed, her arms full with water bottles, chips, fruits, cookies, chocolate, bread, a wallet, a notebook, keys, and a camera. She locked the door, turned off the lights, and lit one of the candles we had in the room. She then went about in laying out some blankets and pillows for us to sit on. Then, she pulled me into her arms, I could feel her warmth and I could feel her shaking. My mother never shook, she was always strong and steadfast, and so I knew that something was dreadfully wrong for her to be acting like that. So, I said, "Ma, what's wrong?"

She looked at my dad and when he nodded, she said, "Milly, you saw all the screaming and running in the park today, didn't you?" When I nodded, she continued, "And you saw what caused the screaming, too?" When I shuddered in revulsion, she hugged me and continued, "Well, that—_thing_—was caused by a very bad man who has very bad friends, and they like to hurt people. They want to hurt everyone, and they have the ability to do so, and we are helpless…" she shuddered and continued, "We know that there is a strong possibility that we won't survive this, but we don't want that fate for you."

My father said, "We are going out and fighting this evil, but you are staying at home in this room. You know where the toilet is, you have enough food and water to keep you safe for 3 months and all you need is right next to you."

They both hugged me and said, "We promise we'll come back, but we need you to be safe."

And with that they dropped all of the supplies in the room, tucked me in and walked out of the house. A few moments later, I heard screams and I heard dragging and kicking, and I knew that my parents were in trouble. Now, I was internally screaming, I had no idea what to do, should I stay inside as my parents had told me, or should I go help them. My heart told me that my parents needed help, so I ran down the stairs and opened the front door, but I was too late, there was no sign of anyone anywhere near my house. My whole neighborhood was aflame, and I felt something stir in my heart, my parents were gone and so were the rest of my friends and family.

Once I realized this, I felt tears run down my face and I made the decision that I would find my parents or at least get some closure. Some may say I was being unreasonable and stupid, but I am different than most. But first, I had to get out of the house. So, I went upstairs and grabbed my rolling suitcase. I filled it with everything that was in the shrine room, and set out to find my new home. Some may say I was being unreasonable and stupid, but I am different than most, as I soon realized.

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><p><strong>So, what did you think? Like it? Hate it? Please let me know (politely, please) in a review!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: Lovely Lily

**Hey guys! I updated much quicker than I thought I'd be able to, but I probably won't be able to update this quickly in the future. Thanks to NY GE Pyromaniac and Aveline Archer for being the first reviewers of this story. Enjoy!**

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><p>As time went on, I realized the futility of my efforts. Who on earth would take in a random girl in this time of peril? No one, that's right. I began to feel really stupid, something I had never felt before, as I was quite the prodigy. But, obviously, my common sense had left me and I now had no idea of where I was going and how to get back to where I was coming from.<p>

I saw a bench and sat down there to get some rest, and when the realization dawned on me that I was lost—not to mention dirty, hungry, and tired—I did what any normal two year old would do, I cried…I wailed…and then bawled for good measure. Finally when my tears had run out, I looked around and saw a woman with red hair and a rather large belly coming towards me.

I didn't know what to do… should I run? If I did where would I go? Should I wait and talk to her? But didn't mommy and daddy tell me to stay away from strangers? Aaaaagh! It was so confusing!

I was spared from making a decision because the woman with the red hair and rotund belly had already reached me. She looked at me and met my eyes, I had to admit that she was quite pretty, and said, "Sweetie, what are you doing here?"

Sniffling, I replied (against my common sense I know…), "I'm lost."

She said, "Oh Merl—dear! Well, do you know where your parents are? Perhaps I could help you find them."

When she said this, the tears started falling again, and I said, "My parents…my parents are GONE!"

At this she pulled me into a hug, and I stiffened at the touch, but then I relaxed, my sobs unceasing. It had been a few days since I had spoken, let alone hugged anyone, and the solitude was driving me crazy; I was a two year old girl, and I needed my fair share of human companionship and love. When I had finally calmed down, she said, "I'm so sorry. I know what it's like to lose a loved one. I'm Lily by the way, Lily Potter. I live right down the street with my husband, James. Would you like to come in for a little and talk?"

Though I knew I shouldn't go into this lady's house, I decided that I really didn't care anymore about that "stranger danger" stuff. She was nice to me, and I was going to go with her, so I nodded and took her outstretched hand. Off we went into her house.

"We live in Godric's Hollow. It's lovely here, so, what's the word…_magical!_," Lily explained as we walked down the street.

I had to admit, the place was wonderful. From what I had seen, downtown was filled with little shops and laughter filled the hustle and bustle of the area. The people all seemed friendly, the buildings seemed cozy, and the whole place had the air of love and family. When we arrived at her house, I had been fully convinced that the place was magical.

We entered the cozy cottage, and she brought out some warm cookies and juice for me to eat. Having eaten out of a suitcase for the past few days, I ravenously devoured the warm, delicious food. Lily watched on and chuckled at my appetite, when I was done she asked, "Could you tell me what happened to you now? I know it's a bit strange to be telling your life story to an utter stranger, but if you could tell me, then I could probably help you out."

It was right then and there that I decided that I could trust this woman, Lily Potter. She had taken me in when I was falling apart, and now she was trying to help me out in the best way she could. Never had a person, with the exception of my mother and father, shown me such kindness; Lily Potter was no longer a stranger to me but a friend. So, I told her everything. I told her about my home, the mangled corpse, the screaming, and the fear. I felt like crying again when I told her about my parents, but I was all out of tears.

When I finished, she just looked at me, and then she said, "You are a smart one. I would never have expected a two year old to be able to tell a story with that much detail. Anyway, it is obvious that you have nowhere to go, and I would like to offer you a place in my home. What do you think?"

I nodded vigorously and threw my arms around her. Lily Potter, I had decided, was the most kind and loving woman I would ever meet. But as quickly as my ecstasy began, it was ended by a new foreboding thought. I voiced it, "What will your husband think?"

She opened her mouth to answer my question when a deep voice from the door said, "Yes, Lily. What _would_ your husband think?"

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><p><strong>Who's the voice? Three guesses... Anyway, I hope you liked it. Tell me if you think I could do anything to make this story better. I want it to be great. You know what to do. Wait, you don't? Review of course! ;) Nah, you don't have to. Just don't be too mad at me if the chapter wasn't what you expected and don't explode if I don't update for a while. Finals are drawing nearer every second...<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: Suspicions and Magic

**Wow guys! Look at this ANOTHER update! I know I should be studying right now, but this sort of was running through my head so I went for it. Anyways, thank you to NY GE Pyromaniac and LillyBrokenHeart for reviewing the last chapter. Enjoy!**

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><p>I jumped, startled by this new voice, and I quickly looked at its source, the man standing at the front door. He was tall, even taller than my own Daddy, and had black messy hair and hazel eyes. He had his hands in his pockets and was smirking mischievously. I could only assume that this was Lily's husband, James.<p>

My suspicions were confirmed when Lily yelled, "James Charlus Potter! Don't you ever do that again. You scared this little girl out of her wits, not to mention me!"

He laughed and said, "Sorry, Lily. I just couldn't resist the temptation." He looked at me kindly and continued, "Anyway, what's your name? I don't remember seeing you around here before."

I responded, "Milly"

"That's a pretty name. Would you mind sitting here for a moment while I talk to Lily in private? There's still plenty of cookies to be eaten."

At his mention of cookies, I immediately grabbed a few cookies from the table and smiled. He chuckled at my eagerness and motioned for Lily to come with him into the adjoining room. Lily smiled at me and followed her husband into the room. They shut the door to keep their conversation private.

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><p>What they didn't know is that I had very good hearing. You know those legends about people who could hear the beat of a butterfly's wings? Well, I was exactly like those people, well without the swords and supernatural powers that usually came with those skills (or so I thought); I could hear every single conversation within a 150 foot radius of me, and closed doors and lowered voices never hindered my ability. So, I was able to hear every single word of James and Lily Potter's conversation.<p>

"Lily," James whispered indignantly, "Why in the name of Merlin's pants would you bring a complete stranger into our home? You know that Volde—You-know-who is after us! She could be a spy for all we know."

"James, that is ridiculous. This girl is a two year old who has just lost her parents; have some consideration. And, please, give me some credit. I would not allow anyone into our house if I had the slightest doubt about their trustworthiness. I _am_ in the Order of the Phoenix as well."

"So you think that she is trustworthy?"

"Absolutely"

"And how would you know this?"

"I've talked to her James. I am a good judge of character; I _know_ she is trustworthy. She is in a bad spot of trouble right now, and she needs help."

"Are you going to tell me what happened to her? Or perhaps why she needs _our_ help?"

"Well, I didn't see anyone else reaching out to help this poor girl in need! And, no, I am not going to tell you what happened to her; that is her _private_ story to tell you when she deems fit. And before you ask again, I am sure we can trust her. Believe me James, I wouldn't have allowed her in the house if I had a single doubt; I know the severity of our situation."

"What about magic?"

"What about it?"

"Well, I don't think she knows about magic, and if she is a Muggle, then we could be taken to Azkaban for breaking the International Statute of Secrecy!"

"Look, James, I don't know right now what we'll do about the whole magic business, but we have to help her. She's been through a lot, believe me. I would never forgive myself if I just turned her away now."

"Ok, Lily, I believe you. I just want to make sure you and our child are safe. She can stay. We'll figure out the other stuff later."

"Thank you James! I know you have doubts about her right now, but once you talk to her, you'll love her! She is such a little dear."

"Well, Lily," James chuckled, "if you really like her so much, I believe that I will have no trouble in liking her as well. Let's go back in."

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><p>My mind was reeling. Magic? <em>Magic?<em> I could not believe there was such a thing; before I could contemplate this anymore, they came back into the room, and I decided to pretend like I hadn't heard a single word of their conversation. A good thing too because it was quite obvious that they didn't want to know that James had doubts about me; when I asked Lily if anything was wrong she just told me that James had wanted to talk about dinner. I just smiled and thanked her and James for the cookies.

James said, "No problem Milly. You're a part of this household now. If you want, I can help you take your suitcase up to your room."

I nodded quickly and grabbed my suitcase from the hallway. James picked it up and carried it up the stairs. He brought it to the room right next to the staircase. "This is the guest room," he said, "Well, now it's your room. It's not really much right now, but we can decorate it later to suit your tastes."

I couldn't believe it. My own room! It was amazing. There was a huge bed in it, and right next to the bed was a window with a magnificent view of the Potter's garden, which was filled with so many beautiful flowers and trees. On the other side of the room was a dresser, a desk, _my own _bathroom, and what looked to be a walk-in closet. I couldn't believe how much space I would be getting. I turned and hugged James and basically squealed, "Thank you so much! I love it!"

He stiffened at first, but then he chuckled and patted my back saying, "No problem kiddo. Dinner will be ready in a couple of hours, and don't hesitate to ask if you need anything." With that he released me and headed down the stairs.

I jumped into what was now _my_ bed. It was so soft and comfortable. Of course, my mind was still spinning from what I had heard earlier, but I decided to push those thoughts away for a while. Things were finally looking up for me.

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><p><strong>Hope you liked it! It's a little on the fluffy side, but even Milly needs to have her hyper two year old moments! I really need to get back to studying now... You know what to do ;)<strong>


	4. Chapter 4: Fights and Flight

**Well guys, I'm updating again. I took a break from the studying and wrote this so it might be a little rough. Thanks to NY GE Pyromaniac and Aveline Archer for your reviews for the last chapter. Enjoy!**

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><p>Life at the Potters' house was great. I soon learned that the food Lily cooked was as good as her cookies, in other words, the food was AMAZING. But, the food was not the best part; the best part was definitely the Potters themselves.<p>

Lily was loving, smart, and beautiful. She was always looking out for me, asking "Milly, do you need anything? Milly, what would you like for dinner? Milly, you look bored, why don't you come and talk to me?"

James seemed to get over his aversion to me and always kept me laughing. He took me downtown to buy things for my room, and when I told him that I had no money, he said, "No problem. You're living with us Potters now, and we're known for our generosity, not to brag of course. We'd do anything for the people we care about. What's ours is yours." That made me hug James again, but this time, he didn't stiffen, he just hugged me back until I let go.

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><p>Of course, there were problems in the Potter household. One could feel the tension in the house, especially after James played some of his pranks. It astounded me how well he could prank, everything worked out perfectly: spiders appeared out of thin air, rooms were darkened and lightened immensely, and wind came out of nowhere. Whenever James pulled pranks like this, though, Lily glared at him. And then when he tried to make things better, usually by pulling a bouquet of flowers out of nowhere, Lily got even angrier.<p>

After incidents like these, she would pull James aside and whisper furiously in his ear, "NO magic, remember? We could get in serious trouble!" They didn't realize I could hear every word she whispered because of my "super hearing", but James always came back from these conversations looking properly abashed.

Whenever they mentioned magic or something out of the ordinary occurred, I pretended to take no notice. These people were amazing, and I did not want to repay their kindness by getting them into trouble. So, after these incidents, I usually went into the garden. It was a beautiful place with trees of all different sizes growing and flowers blooming everywhere. There was a rose bush which I always visited in my "trips" to the garden. It was quite fascinating, whenever I put my hands around the roses on the bush, the flowers would open and close of their own accord! And, if I concentrated hard enough on a color, the roses on the bush would change to that color! It was extremely fascinating, and I decided to keep it my little secret. There was no way I was going to bother Lily and James with anymore than they already had to deal with.

Though the rose bush was fascinating, my favorite part of the whole garden was the swing hung between two tall oak trees. I swung there every day, always trying to swing higher than the day before.

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><p>One day, after a particularly frightening prank with spiders and smoke, I ran to the swing to escape the whispered fight sure to be occurring in the Potter household. I felt awful about what was going on inside; Lily and James were such nice people, I considered them family, and they were fighting because of me. Well, not exactly because of me, but because of the secret they were keeping from me: <em>magic<em>. These thoughts preoccupied my mind as I was swinging, and as a result, I took no notice of the height I was reaching.

The arguing stopped in the house, and Lily and James came outside to call me in for dinner. Thinking I was only a few feet off the ground, I prepared to jump off of the swing. The two of them gasped, and Lily cried, "Milly, no!" I looked at them strangely. It was then that I realized I wasn't a couple of feet off of the ground, I was almost at the top of the oak trees! But, the damage was done, and I had jumped off of the swing.

My stomach dropped, and my heart was beating as quickly as a hummingbird's wings. I closed my eyes and hoped that the impact wouldn't kill me. But, I didn't hit the ground. I opened my eyes, and to my astonishment, I was still in the air but with a cloud of rose petals slowly bringing me down. I looked at Lily and James, they were standing there with their mouths wide opened. James put what looked like a stick of wood in his pocket muttering, "I guess I didn't need that after all."

When I finally hit the ground along with my whirlwind of rose petals, Lily and James rushed towards me. James scooped me up into his arms and said, "Don't you ever do that again! You scared me half to death!" Then, Lily joined our embrace saying, "Milly, you need to be careful! You could have died!"

In the middle of their embrace, I asked them, "What happened? Why didn't I die? Why did the rose petals fly up around me? What did you do?"

They looked at each other and shook their heads, then they said, "Milly, we didn't do anything."

To this, I replied, "So, I did this? Wow! That is so cool! Is this the magic you guys were talking about?"

Too late, I realized my mistake. I had let out the secret I had been trying to keep from them for days! As I clapped my hands over my mouth, they looked at each other in surprise. They held each other's gazes for what seemed like an eternity, and then they turned their gaze to me and said, "Let's go inside. There's a lot of explaining to do."

I was in trouble.

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><p><strong>So, what did you guys think? Milly finally did something magical! Tell me what I need to do because, as I said before, it is rough. I just wrote it and posted it. I hope you liked it, and I really would like to know what you think. Please tell me either in a review or a PM(I turned on anonymous reviews so now ANYONE can review, no excuses!). On another note, can anyone tell me how to get those lines into this document. I just can't seem to figure out how. Anyways, thanks for reading, and review please! ;)<strong>

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><p><strong>Obviously, I found out how to put the lines in (thank you NY GE Pyromaniac). I'm reuploading the story with the lines. Don't forget to review; reviews make me feel like this story is worth continuing. :) Also, thanks to LillyBrokenHeart for reviewing this story.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5: Revelations, Cookies, PADFOOT

**Hey guys! I'm back, after a long wait and tons of school work and finals, which I aced by the way! :D Anyway, I'm at a summer research internship now, but I'm going to do my best to update as often as possible, after all, I know what it feels like to wait forever for an author to update. Endless anticipation! But anyway, here's the next chapter to Love You Forever. Enjoy!**

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><p><em>In the middle of their embrace, I asked them, "What happened? Why didn't I die? Why did the rose petals fly up around me? What did you do?"<em>

_They looked at each other and shook their heads, then they said, "Milly, we didn't do anything."_

_To this, I replied, "So, I did this? Wow! That is so cool! Is this the magic you guys were talking about?"_

_Too late, I realized my mistake. I had let out the secret I had been trying to keep from them for days! As I clapped my hands over my mouth, they looked at each other in surprise. They held each other's gazes for what seemed like an eternity, and then they turned their gaze to me and said, "Let's go inside. There's a lot of explaining to do."_

_I was in trouble._

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><p>I was in big trouble. Lily and James took my hands and led me into the living room, without looking down at me once. How could I have been so stupid? I let the one secret slip that I desperately wanted to remain mum about; now they'll probably never trust me again! Of course, whatever angry thoughts I had did not matter, the damage was done; Lily and James now realized that I had known about their secret since day one. My mind was a jumble of agitated thoughts, but one question rang out clear: what were they going to do with me?<p>

As if sensing my fear, Lily said, "Don't worry Milly. You're not in trouble." I let out a sigh of relief, then I sucked all that air back in when she continued, "We just want you to explain yourself, so we can tell our story better."

Knowing there was no other way I asked, "Do you want me to tell you everything? Or should I just skip to the parts that you don't know?"

James answered this question, saying, "Why don't you start from the beginning, there are discrepancies in mine and Lily's knowledge of your back story, after all."

Nodding, I said, "OK, let's go back to the beginning."

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><p>"I loved my parents more than anything else in the world. They were always there for me, giving me the encouragement to pursue things I wouldn't have the courage to do otherwise, and they were always there when, rarely, those ambitions fell through. It was them who gave me the ambition to be a doctor.<p>

I told them everything—from what my favorite color of the day was to why I thought that my uncle was a gluttonous leech. But, there was one thing which I never got to tell them about: the strange happenings that always went on around me. Like how I could breathe underwater, which I discovered in the bathtub a few days before my second birthday or how whenever I got mad at someone strange things seemed to happen to them. For instance, when that mean Priscilla Carmichael stole my doll, I got really angry and all of the juice on the table we were playing at spilled on her and stained her dress bright red. She was so angry, but I could hardly control my laughter. That was just one instance, but strange things always happened around me, and I never told my parents about them. And, now, I probably never will."

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><p>At this, I broke off into a sob, the memories of that dreadful night washed over me, and I struggled to contain myself. Lily hugged me and whispered comfortingly, "It's OK, Milly. Just tell James what you told me when we first met, and then we'll be able to explain ourselves."<p>

Nodding, I continued to tell my story. I told James about how my parents had left to try and protect me from whatever evil was in our world and about how I was sure that they were dead. Then, I told him about meeting Lily and how I could hear anything being said within a 150 foot radius of me. Finally I finished by saying earnestly, "I am so very sorry about keeping my secrets from you, I just didn't want to get anyone in trouble. I know it doesn't seem this way, but I really am grateful for all you have done for me."

Once again Lily collected me into her arms and comforted me until my sobs ceased.

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><p>After I had calmed down, Lily and James decided it was their turn to speak. James cleared his throat and began, "So, I'm pretty sure that by now you've been able to figure out that there is something out of the ordinary going on with you, right?"<p>

I nodded.

"Good," he continued, "I was pretty sure you would have what with your highly tuned brain and all."

I let out a watery chuckle.

Lily picked up where he left off, "Well, what's been happening to you is what happens to all wizards when they are young, uncontrollable magic. Yes, you heard me correctly, magic DOES exist, Milly, and you're a witch."

At this, my mouth was gaping open. I mean, was I seriously a witch? My mind was racing with happy and hyper thoughts.

Seeing the look on my face, Lily and James both chuckled, and Lily continued, "So anyway, there's a wizarding school called Hogwarts, and that's where most wizards in Britain learn magic. It's a wonderful place; I'll never forget it. You'll make the best friends there; actually, it's where James and I first met."

"Actually, you pretty much hated me up until our last year there," James interjected jokingly.

"Oh shut up James, I fell for you in the end," Lily laughed.

"That was the best day of my life," James said before leaning in to kiss Lily.

I was OK with a little kissing and cuddling between the Potters going on in front of me. They were a married couple after all, but after 5 minutes of this, my two year old brain had had enough. "Get a room!" I yelled jokingly, and James and Lily sprung apart with sheepish smiles on their faces.

"Yeah, Yeah, anyway Milly. You'll love Hogwarts. It's the bloody best place on Earth to go to school!" James said.

"James! Language! She's two; we can't have her picking up on your bad habits so early!" That was obviously Lily.

"Okay, Lily," James said. Lily laughed and nodded, obviously appeased. But after she left the room to get some more cookies, he whispered to me, "I don't care if you use bad language, but I think it'd be best if we use that type of language away from Lily."

I giggled and nodded as a response.

"Great," he said, "So how about we go to the kitchen to get some milk to go along with those delicious cookies Lily is making for us."

I jumped up immediately and almost ran to the kitchen. James let out a hearty chuckle at my enthusiasm, but what can I say, those cookies were divine! I grabbed the jug of milk, and waited for James to pour us all glasses. When we were all set, I dove in and devoured 3 cookies without stopping. I heard James whisper jokingly to Lily, "Always hungry, that one."

I stopped eating and said, "Of course I am, the food here is delicious!"

Amidst their laughter, I moved to take another cookie, but my hand stopped in midair. A sudden thought had struck me. Why was I magical when my parents were not? I voiced my concern to Lily, and she smiled sadly at me and said, "Not every witch or wizard's parents are magical, some of them are non-magical, or Muggles, as we wizarding folk like to call them. There's nothing wrong with being muggleborn at all. In fact, I'm a muggleborn. All that matters is your aptitude for learning, intelligence, and dedication, and we all know that you have plenty of those three qualities."

"Really? Are you sure?" I asked.

"I'm positive," Lily replied.

"So no one will make fun of me because I'm a muggleborn?"

James and Lily looked at each other, and James responded to my question, "Well, actually, no, there are people who will probably judge you because of your "blood status", as the pure blood berks like to call it. But those people shouldn't matter to you because of all the real friends you'll make. They, along with the majority of the wizarding population, won't judge you for being muggleborn. Because blood status and all are a load of junk."

"Pure blood?"

"Well," James continued, "pure bloods are people whose direct lines of descent are only made up of wizards. I'm a pure blood, for example. There are some pure bloods who have these messed up and sick ideals that the only people who should be allowed to practice magic are pure bloods, but there are plenty of other pure bloods who don't agree with that mindset at all. Take me for example, or the Weasleys. Or Sirius, though most of his family is made up of complete loonies."

"Ok, so some people will judge me, but that's no big deal, right? Because there's no serious muscle behind that judgement. It's not like I'll be hurt or killed or anything," I laughed.

Once again James and Lily exchanged furtive looks, and this time, it was Lily who responded, "Actually, Milly, that isn't exactly correct. You see, right now there's a war going on in the wizarding world. Between good and evil, or light and dark, as some like to call it. But those who are really fighting the war hands on like to say, it's between us and V-Voldemort and his Death Eaters. You see, Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters, are pure blooded bigots who want to "purify" the wizarding race. We're actually fighting him, and all people who don't agree with his ideals are in grave danger. And we definitely don't agree with his ideals, so we, along with most of our friends, must be really careful. Because we're working to stop Voldemort, but we really want to come out alive. I don't mean to sound abrupt or anything, it's just that's how things are right now."

I was in silent for a while, my guardian angels, the Potters, were in mortal danger? But they were my new family! They were amazing! Why on earth would that STUPID, BUGGERING IDIOT want to do something like that! It's not fair!

"I know it's not fair," Lily sighed. Oh, apparently I had been voicing some of my inner thoughts out loud, but oh well. "But we just have to deal with it in the best way that we can. That's all we can do," she said.

"I get it," I said, "I'm just a little surprised, I guess."

"Surprised is one word for it," James said, "You looked more furious than surprised, though. But anyway, let's push that, to quote Milly, 'stupid, buggering', stuff away from our thoughts for now because I think I see Padfoot coming up!" He raced to the door, to greet this Padfoot.

"Padfoot?" I looked at Lily questioningly.

"Padfoot is James' best friend, Sirius Black."

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><p>Sirius Black was a tall man, I guess girls who were older may have called him, "ruggedly handsome." Hah! Girls these days, "ruggedly handsome", but he wasn't ugly, I guess. He had shaggy dark brown hair, a strong build, and eyes that twinkled with mischief. He seemed like a nice guy.<p>

"Well, who's this tiny one James?" Sirius asked.

Before James could answer, I pouted and said, "I'm Milly, and I'm most certainly not _tiny_."

James laughed and said, "Definitely not, Milly. Sirius," he turned now addressing this shaggy-haired man in front of me, "this is Milly. She's the newest addition to the Potter family. She's quite the two year old, extremely smart and witty. But she does happen to have a temper, and a loud opinion" he added as an afterthought, as he had been victim to my temper and loud opinion numerous times. This usually happened when he tried to steal my cookies, but hey! Those cookies were to die for. I mean seriously, you have not LIVED until you have eaten one.

Sirius chuckled, "I can see that, well, Miss Milly, I look forward to getting to know your smart self and all the other things that come with the newest member of the Potter family." He then proceeded to bow in this extremely elaborate fashion, causing me to burst out in laughter. This guy was a jokester, I thought, I'm going to like him.

"Well, I look forward to getting to know you too Sirius, but I'm sorry if this comes across as rude, but there are cookies waiting to be eaten in the kitchen, and I don't really want James to eat 'em all." I said.

"Oh, that's not rude at all. Lily's cookies are to die for, I completely understand. Actually, let's both go into the kitchen and finish those cookies before James can touch them."

I nodded vigorously in agreement, and took his hand and all but dragged him to the kitchen. Sirius laughed and he said, "I think we're going to be great friends tiny."

I laughed and stuck my tongue out at him and his new nickname for me. Sirius laughed again and called out to James, "You picked a good one Prongs."

James looked at us bemusedly, "Well, I didn't exactly pick her out, she sort of came to us, but I'm glad she did."

I smiled at this, and then all three of us went off to the kitchen to see who could devour more of Lily's delicious cookies.

I totally won.

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><p><strong>So, how was it? I haven't updated in a while, but this is the LONGEST CHAPTER TO DATE of Love You Forever! Please tell me what you thought of it in a review. Not like I'm begging or anything. ;) Anyway, everyone's favorite redhead will be making an appearance really soon, like either in the upcoming chapter or the one after that, and the fun will really begin. See you soon, and please review! Also, thank you to: Lilly Madness, Aveline Archer, and NY GE Pyromaniac who reviewed the last chapter. Really, each review seriously made my day. And also, thank you to: NY GE Pyromaniac and sowesearchthesky for reviewing my other fic, Finally. And lastly, a really big thank you to my buddy, NY GE Pyromaniac, you're the best! Also, thanks to those who favorited and alerted too, it's nice to know that people like my story. Okay, now I'm done! That was INSANELY long! Really, thanks for reading guys.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6: Weasleys, Moony, QUIDDITCH

**Hi guys! I'm back, and let me tell you, it's been a busy month for me. Internship's been taking up almost all of my time, but I'm loving every second of it. Research is so much fun! But, somehow, in the few precious moments of freedom which were granted to me, I managed to churn out the longest chapter of Love You Forever to date! Woot woot! Anyway, thanks to those who favorited and followed. And a special thanks to NY GE Pyromaniac, xBambamx, and BananaLollypop for reviewing. I'm so grateful for all the feedback I've been getting for this story. I mean it, thanks guys. It really means a lot. Now, if you've made it this far into this insanely long author's note, I commend you. Now, on with the insanely long chapter! (Well, insanely long for this story, anyway) ;)**

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><p>Sirius was a complete jokester, and by the end of the evening he had completely won me over. We sat outside in the garden, and talked for ages. I asked him the other 500 questions I had about the wizarding world. Somewhere in our discussion we got on the topic of families.<p>

"Sirius," I asked, "What's your family like?"

"My family? They're a bunch of bloody idiots who don't deserve anything they have. I never speak to them."

"But do you ever miss them?"

"No, why would I miss them? I hate them."

"Oh, I miss my parents. I really miss them."

"I guess I miss my brother sometimes, but me and him, me and the whole lot of them were so different. They had completely different ideas about how the world should go 'round. Sometimes some families just weren't meant to be."

"Oh," was all I could manage as a reply before we drifted off into a pensive silence."

Finally breaking the silence, I asked, "Sirius, who are the Weasleys?"

"The Weasleys? How'd you hear about them?"

"James and Lily. They talked about them when they were telling me about pure bloods who weren't bigoted berks. They said that you were a good person too, just to let you know."

"I'm glad they said that I was a nice bloke… I'd have to talk to them if they said otherwise," he chuckled. Then he continued and said, "the Weasleys are great people. They're a bunch of gingers, mind you. So if you ever need to find them, just look for a sea of red hair, that'll be them. Molly and Arthur went to Hogwarts a few years before me and James. The family is huge, I think they have 5 kids right now. But, my favorites of the bunch, and I'm sure James would agree with me, are the twins that they have. They are pranksters of the finest kind."

"Oh really? What are their names?"

"Fred and George, nice normal names, for slightly abnormal little tykes. They give Molly and Arthur so much trouble with their mischief" he laughed. After his laughter subsided he said, "and they're really great kids. You'd love 'em."

"So, when do I get to meet them?"

"When we visit the Weasleys next, which happens to be tomorrow," Lily said, entering the garden from the kitchen. Then she turned to address Sirius, "Padfoot, if you're going to head home, then you should probably go now. It's dangerous to be out after dark even for wizards who can apparate in this time, but you're welcome to stay with us for the night."

He smiled and said, "Nah, thanks Lily, but I think I should head home tonight. Let me just say bye to James."

"Ok, bye Sirius. Hope we can see you again soon."

"Oh definitely, I'll see you Lily," he said, and then he turned to me and said, "Bye tiny. See you in a couple of days."

"Bye Sirius," was all I said. I had come to terms with his nickname for me; I kinda liked it actually, but I'd never let him know about that. When he went into the house, I turned to Lily and asked, "Are we really going to the Weasleys house tomorrow?"

She laughed and nodded in assent, and then said, "You'll love 'em. I'm sure you'll hit it off with all the kids, especially Fred and George."

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><p>I was not and never will be a morning person. It didn't matter that I'd slept for ten hours. I wanted to stay in bed! Of course I couldn't because if I did James or Lily would bring out their wands and shoot water at me… <em>Aguamenti<em>, I think that's what the spell was. And the next day was no exception, I woke up as I always did… tired and grumpy. But, as I was in the bathroom, brushing my teeth, I realized something that significantly brightened my morning…we were visiting the Weasleys today! I asked the Potters more about the redheaded family the night before, and was definitely excited to visit this family.

So, with a new spring in my step and a smile on my face, I walked down the stairs all dressed up and ready for breakfast before our trip to the Weasley household. James saw me, and laughed. Obviously, my good mood in the morning was amusing to him. Too excited to get annoyed, I simply smiled some more, and entered the kitchen, where I was surprised to not smell or _see_ any breakfast on the table or on the stove. At this, all smiles dropped from my face, and I stood there with a sad, dazed look. Seeing the almost distraught look on my face, Lily let out a little chuckle, and said, "Milly, we're eating brunch at the Burrow, the Weasley's house. Don't look so upset, you'll be glad you saved room when you eat Molly's cooking." Of course, my face still bordered on despair, so Lily just gave me a cookie, and my face instantly brightened. Now, I knew I was set to go to the Weasley's place.

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><p>I had only left the Potter's place in Godric's Hollow a couple of times since I had first arrived, and the few trips which I had taken were to the market which was just a short walk away. So, naturally, I was surprised when James and Lily took me over to the fireplace to get to the Burrow.<p>

"Now, Milly," began Lily, "I know this looks weird, but this," she said, gesturing to the fireplace, "is a common form of wizard travel called Flooing."

James picked up the flower pot off of the mantle, and showed me its contents, a sparkly green powder of sorts. "This is Floo powder," he said.

"To Floo," he continued, "you just throw a pinch of this stuff into the fireplace, and hop in and say the name of the place you're going to. And then, poof! You're there!"

"But, you have to say the name of the place very loudly and clearly, otherwise you might end up in the wrong fireplace, and that could be really bad. And, you've got to keep your head, it's a long, dusty, and dizzy journey. So you've got to be careful. Here, watch James, he'll go first."

And then, James threw a pinch of the greenish powder into the flames, which turned a bright, emerald green. He then hopped into the roaring flames with the two broomsticks and the packages he was holding, and shouted loudly, "the Burrow!" And with that, the flames swirled around him, and he swooshed, I presume, off to the Burrow. The flames once again were their normal fiery red and orange.

"Now, Milly," Lily said, kneeling down next to me, "I really wish I could Floo with you, but I'm bringing two picnic baskets, and it would be a really bulky and dangerous ride if you, me, and those picnic baskets Flooed together. So, I'm gonna need you to be _very_ careful. Can you do that for me."

"Of course I can Lily. It doesn't seem that hard. Don't worry, I'll be fine," I said, overloading it on the reassuring comments because I knew Lily wouldn't be sated easily.

She looked at me contemplatively, and said, "Ok, now grab a pinch, take a deep breath, and shout 'the Burrow', and then watch your step and head when you get out. Be careful!"

Laughing, I said, "I will," one last time. Then, I threw my pinch of powder into the flames, hopped into the, once again, bright green flames, and shouted, "The Burrow!" And, Lily and the Potter household swirled away to be replaced with green flames, smoke, dust, and rapidly moving fireplaces. And then, after a second, I stumbled ungracefully out of a new fireplace, and James helped me steady myself. Coughing and trying to straighten myself up, I took in my new surroundings.

I was definitely in the Weasley household because I was surrounded by redheads. James' black hair stood out like a sore thumb. I guessed I did too, even more than James too. He at least had the same skin color as them, albeit somewhat dirtier because of Floo travel, but he could clean that off. I knew I looked completely different, with my thick, black hair and smooth, tan skin, gifts of my Indian descent, but I didn't feel out of place at all in this house. All of the people in the room were smiling at me, and when Lily swooshed into the fireplace and then proceeded to exit gracefully (I know, miracle!) with the two picnic baskets, their smiles grew even brighter.

A woman, who had just entered, what I presumed to be the dining area from the kitchen, rushed over to Lily's side and immediately began helping her with her load. She was a redhead, just like the others, besides James, in the room. She was wearing a yellow dress, and held her wand in one hand, levitating the picnic baskets Lily was carrying into the kitchen. She had a motherly aura about her, further enforce by the fussing she was doing over Lily. She then, turned, presumably to say something to James or her family, but then her eyes fell on me. A bright smile, similar to those of her family, graced her face. "And, who might you be?" were the first words out of her mouth.

Clearing my throat to get rid of any raspiness in my voice from Flooing, I answered, "Milly, I er live with James and Lily."

"Oh really now? Well, hello Milly, I'm Molly, or Mrs. Weasley. It's your choice on what to call me, and these are my sons," she said, gesturing to the boys in the room. "My husband, Arthur," she continued, "is outside right now. Probably showing Sirius and the others the ridiculous Muggle claptrap he spends most of his days 'perfecting'"

It was clear to me that Mrs. Weasley did not approve of her husband's tinkering with Muggle stuff, but it was also clear to me that she loved him deeply. She smiled to herself when she talked about him, a clear sign of love. Of course, I was curious about what Mr. Weasley was doing with Muggle things, after all, I was muggleborn myself. So I said, "Well, it's nice to meet you Mrs. Weasley. I hope you don't mind me asking, but what does Mr. Weasley do with the Muggle stuff?"

"He fixes them to be magical!" A new, high voice popped in. I turned to see the boy who had said that, and I saw a short boy with brown eyes ahead of the rest of the young redheads. He seemed to have an identical twin, there was another boy who looked just like him in the ring of redheads.

"Well, yes Fred," Mrs. Weasley, said addressing her son. "But, he really shouldn't be doing that, just like you and George shouldn't be playing pranks all the time. Think about all the trouble all of you could get into. It's much better to stay safe, and keep out of trouble."

"But, mum! What dad does is cool!" another boy protested. "He makes boring things fun, George thinks so too," he gestured to the first boy's twin, George, at this.

George nodded quickly and stepped out of the ring of young Weasleys, which now only held two redheads. He said, "Yeah! Dad makes things, _cool_ things!"

"Fred, Charlie, George, that's not his job, his job is something else, and he doesn't seem to be paying it much attention! He needs to, though," she said, trailing off. Muttering under her breath, "God knows he does, we could use the money."

She didn't know I could hear what she was saying, so I tried to quickly hide my expression. I didn't think that she'd want me to hear about the Weasley's financial issues. Jumping out of her private thoughts, she addressed her kids. "Boys, introduce yourself to Milly."

The tallest, and oldest looking boy, stepped forward and said, "I'm Bill, I'm 10. Almost off to Hogwarts! Nice to meet you."

The next tallest boy, moved up and said, "I'm Charlie, and I'm 8!" He then waved at me, and when I waved and smiled back, he moved back to a spot beside Bill.

The next boy said, "My name is Percy, and I am 4."

"Fred." "George." Piped the two twins simultaneously. "2!"

"Oh! I'm two too! Well, two, as well, I mean. Nice to meet you all."

Mrs. Weasley then smiled at me and said, "James and Lily, you guys should take Milly out to the garden. We're eating there for brunch. There's no way we'd fit everyone in here."

And with that, all of us headed out into the garden, with me, Fred, and George bringing up the rear.

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><p>Lily was right. Molly's cooking was delicious. There was more food on the table than I had ever seen before, and trust me, it was all delicious. The table was filled with laughter and chatter, but I kept silent, preferring to fill myself to the brim with chicken and ham pie, mashed potatoes, fresh salad, and brownie sundaes. My god, that food was good. It was only after I had finished my third brownie sundae that I began to talk to the others at the table. Actually, it was the others who began talking to me first, a sandy haired skinny man was the first person to attempt to make conversation.<p>

"Hi, I'm Remus Lupin. A friend of James and Sirius," he said, sticking his hand out for me to shake.

I shook his hand and replied, "Milly. I live with James and Lily."

"Oh so you're _tiny_! Sirius was talking about you a while back, you seem to have made quite an impression on him."

"Well, I try. I usually make an impression. I'm not that special, though… I guess people aren't too used to seeing a two year-old like me," I trailed off into thought. "But, I'm not tiny! Sirius is just too tall!" I added as an afterthought.

Remus chuckled as he replied, "Well, you've certainly made an impression on me. I don't know if there's any other two year old who's as intelligent, articulate, and opinionated as you. And by the looks on Fred and George's faces, I think you've made an impression on them too."

I looked over at the twins, and sure enough their eyes were wide, and they seemed to be hanging onto every word of our conversation. When my gaze fell on them, they colored quickly and busied themselves with their food. I smiled and said, "I guess so, but you've got to make impressions too. You're so different… from Sirius and James, I mean."

He raised his eyebrows. I thought I caught a hint of fear in his eyes, but I was sure imagined it because in a split second his eyes returned to their bright, tawny brown. "How so?"

"Well, you're so mature and calm. I love the two of them, but sometimes they act like they're still two! Two year olds who are less mature than me, of course. Plus, you seem intelligent and articulate… I know they're smart too, but have you heard them talk sometimes? Specifically, have you heard _Sirius_ talk? He described me as that tiny-kinda-sorta-small kid once! You must make an impression when you're hanging out with them. If all of you are talking, people are gonna think that you're extremely smart."

Remus had burst out laughing when I mentioned Sirius calling me the tiny-kinda-sorta-small kid, and I didn't blame him. I mean _really_? When his laughter finally quitened, he said, "Yeah, Prongs and Padfoot can act like idiots sometimes."

"Hey! I don't act like an idiot Moony… it's all Prongs!" yelled Sirius from the other end of the table, as all of the table had tuned into our conversation when Remus started laughing.

"No, Sirius. I'm pretty sure it's all you... I mean…tiny-kinda-sorta-small kid? _Really?_" said James.

"My sentiments exactly" I muttered.

Sirius, of course, was having none of it, "I am _not _immature!"

"Yes you are Sirius. I mean you're throwing a fit at the table!" This came from James, of course.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too too!"

"Are too too? You're saying I'm a tutu? I'm gonna get you Prongs!"

And with this, James and Sirius were engaged in a playful tussle at the table with the rest of us staring at them. "See, immature two year olds! Both of them!" I exclaimed. And at that, everyone roared with laughter. Finally after all the hysterics had calmed down, Lily pulled the two still-"fighting" "men" apart from each other saying, "I can't believe you two! You're adults, you're _supposed_ to set an example! What will the children think?" She was trying her hardest to sound stern, but I could tell she was fighting to keep her lips from smiling.

James and Sirius, sensing that they weren't going to get in trouble, just laughed and James said, "Yeah, yeah Lils. We all know it's Moony who sets the example here."

"And you, Lily-bean!" Sirius added. "You're the best role model around!"

"Alright you two," chortled Mrs. Weasley, cutting the Lily compliment session off, "it's time to clear the table. Fred and George have been eyeing the packages you brought a bit too curiously. And if you got them what I think you got, then I'm sure they'll need supervision when opening them."

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><p>Mrs. Weasley was right. They did need supervision to open them. James had gotten them kid broomsticks and one for me! Fred and George were over the moon, apparently all their brothers had brooms and they'd wanted their own for ages. James laughed and accepted their thanks and waved off Molly's fretting over how expensive the presents saying, "Molly, it's our birthday present to them because we couldn't make their birthday! Really! It was no trouble. Just glad that they liked 'em so much."<p>

They did, and so did I! These kid broomsticks weren't the normal kid broomsticks—as I heard from Fred, James, and George repeatedly—apparently, they were almost as good as regular broomsticks: they could go almost as high, almost as fast, and had almost as many features as normal brooms. Actually, I was told, they were basically as good as the Silver Arrows, which were quite popular nowadays. They did have some more safety features, though. I wasn't complaining about that though, I wasn't too keen on falling off my broom and dying on impact. Actually, I was kind of nervous about riding my broom, but soon enough it was time to play Quidditch and, for me, fly for the first time. At first, I couldn't move, but then Fred tugged my arm and said, "Let's go! It's time to fly!" And we raced off into the flying orchard together, with George by our side.

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><p>When we arrived at the orchard, everyone else had already assembled and they were taking out a box with 4 balls in it, all of different shapes and sizes: there was a big bright red one, two slightly smaller black ones, and a tiny golden ball with wings. Sirius was carrying two big bats. Seeing me and the twins, James kneeled down and addressed us seriously, "Now guys, we're going to teach you how to fly properly before we get down to playing. What we're going to do is examine you guys one by one. We'll check your grips and then we'll let you run a test ride. Don't worry, we'll be watching you the whole time and make sure you're safe. Sound good?"<p>

"Definitely," the twins responded. I, however, wasn't so sure, but I nodded slowly anyway.

"Alright then," James said, standing back up. "I want you all to put your brooms on the ground, hold your hands directly above them to catch them, and shout up. Keep your voice steady, and make sure it's loud and clear. Kinda like Flooing, Milly." He said, seeing the somewhat terrified look on my face.

We all shouted "UP!" and, surprisingly, all of our brooms, including mine, flew up to reach our hands, albeit mine moved slower than the others. "Great!" James exclaimed. "Now, Fred step forward, and Sirius will check your grip and you can go for a ride. Then George, and then Milly."

I was glad I wasn't going first, I thought that flying might just kill me. I hoped I would learn something about it by watching the twins go, but it all seemed to pass by in a blur, and in seemingly no time, it was my turn.

I started hyperventilating, but Sirius looked in my eyes and said, "Milly, you'll be just fine. Don't worry, we've got you." I looked up at him and smiled. He continued, "Now, let me just check your grip, put your hands here… no, not there…here…up a bit…tighter… and there!"

It had taken me about five minutes to get my grip straight, unlike the boys who seemed to have gotten it right in five seconds. This fact embarrassed me, as I was not used to not being the best at something, and this embarrassment did not help my sweaty hands. But, I was determined to fly and survive, so when Sirius told me to kick off the ground firmly, I did so with as much confidence as I could muster and shot off into the air.

I was shocked… this wasn't scary. This was exhilarating. I leaned to the left and the broom moved with me. I pushed it to the right, it turned and I sped off in that new direction. I loved it! Flying felt like nothing else. It wasn't hard. It wasn't difficult. It certainly wasn't scary. It was _natural_!This was the first time in my life that I had ever felt free. I did some loops and sped around enjoying my time in the air with as much relish as I could. James called me down all too soon, but slowly I heeded his command and lazily drifted down.

"That was _brilliant_, Milly!" was the first comment I heard, and it came from Sirius. I smiled and went to join Fred and George, who were looking at me with big smiles on their faces.

"Did you have fun?" Lily asked us.

"Tons," we replied in unison.

"Ruddy brilliant! I'd say you all were ready for Quidditch!" James exclaimed.

"Quidditch? James! They're only two! They still need to learn some more!" Molly cried indignantly with Lily nodding beside her.

"Ok, ok. Molly, how 'bout we start by tossing apples around today. We can play Quidditch next time. Ok?"

We all nodded eagerly, excited to get back on our brooms. James threw four apples into the air, and at his whistle we all shot up after them, and we played Quidditch, laughing, until the sun went down.

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><p><strong>So, you got through it! I commend you. (To those who read through the insanely long author's note at the top, I commend you doubly!) Anyway, how'd you like the first appearance of everyone's favorite Weasley in this story? I know that their overall mischievousness didn't show too much, but keep in mind, they're two, and aren't as smart as Milly. But, they aren't dumb; I imagine it takes quite a level of genius to come up with the stuff that these guys did in Harry Potter, so they can talk relatively well when they want to. Don't worry, you'll be seeing them again soon, and I'm sure they'll be up to something then. Also, Quidditch! How'd you like the flying? I tried to make it good. Anyway, if you've gotten through THIS insanely long author's note I commend you (triply, if you got through all 3 insanely long portions of this chapter). Now, I ask those of you who have reached the end of this author's note to review, after all they make me faster ;) (I uploaded the day I got two new reviews for Chapter 5). <strong>


	7. Chapter 7: Fit of Angry Tears

**It's been brought to my attention that some people feel that Milly is a bit too Mary Sue-ish, and it wasn't in a polite way. Not too nice, but I respect your opinion. Of course, I'd appreciate it if people wouldn't leave me criticism anonymously; I'd rather address stuff like this in a PM. Just to address the Mary Sue issue, I actually tested Milly with the HP Mary Sue test, and she passed as not a Mary Sue! And I actually happen to know that acting that way as a two year old is not only possible but also quite common among people with high IQs like Milly has. I did my research, and I know the stuff… people with HIGH IQs (I imagine Milly's to be VERY HIGH) can either be extremely antisocial and quiet or they can be very upstanding and social, which is what I imagine Milly to be. Trust me, it's possible… I've seen the home videos of all the high IQ (by high I mean above 165) kids at my school, and that includes me, AND I've read the scientific research. I kinda combined characteristics from these videos to make a two year old character like Milly. Plus, you know that 6 year old who won the spelling bee? Apparently, she behaved like Milly. Plus, she is of Indian descent, meaning she got tutoring from a very early age, like most Indian kids who show signs of extreme intelligence. That means she's learned a lot of things that most two year olds would never be able to do; it's just because she IS special, and that's how she's supposed to be. I know that Milly seems to be very strong and overly intelligent, but this also comes from the tragedy in her early life. Tragedies can hurt people or make them stronger, and I imagine, because Milly already has a powerful and strong brain, she would take a tragedy into stride and become stronger, which is what she did. Of course, I understand, that it's a little unbelievable, but keep in mind, she is a witch, and is meant to be a great one. A combination of a VERY HIGH IQ and a tragedy is what made Milly who she is. And that is a great person who can adapt and learn quickly and who has an upstanding wit. But don't worry, she has flaws just like everybody else, you'll see. Anyway, thanks to Aveline Archer and xXallegedangelXx for reviewing the last chapter! On with the story…**

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><p>I learned that catching was a skill that I had yet to master on my broom because while I could fly quite naturally, my hand-eye coordination was still lacking, and I caught the least apples of all of the kids. And, honestly, that bugged me. That bugged me a lot. But, I didn't show it, I just kept laughing with the others. But, when the sun went down and everyone was lazily descending and chatting, I quickly zoomed down and hopped off of my broom. In my few precious seconds of privacy, I let my frustration show, but the moment I heard someone descend, I forced my face into a smile and turned around. The person who landed was James, with Sirius, Remus, and some fat mousy man closely following him.<p>

"So, Milly, how'd you like your first time on a broom?" James asked, smiling.

"It was pretty fun," I said, shrugging, my lack of coordination was still irking me.

"Oh," was all he said. He seemed disappointed; I guess he really wanted me to like flying. I knew he played Quidditch at Hogwarts. I knew I could make him feel better by just telling the truth that I loved flying but not being able to catch to save a life was really bugging, but I couldn't bring myself to care. Instead, I turned to the mousy man and asked, quite rudely too, "Who're you?"

"Peter. Peter Pettigrew. You must be Milly," he said while seemingly forcing a smile. But, once again, I couldn't bring myself to care.

So I just replied sullenly, "Yup, that's me." Realizing I was being a bit too rude, I added, "I hope you won't start calling me tiny like Sirius. It's quite an annoying nickname," with a smile.

"Oh, I'm sure it's not as bad as mine…"he laughed trailing. I raised my eyebrows questioningly, and he said, "Wormtail, after my Anima—" He was cut off by a sharp elbow to his rather large gut by Sirius.

"Okay, Wormy. That's enough now," he said, shooting Wormtail a look, "I want to talk to Milly now. So tiny, how was it? You know we had a bet going on who would catch the most apples, and I was betting on you. You do realize you lost me 5 galleons, don't you?"

"Oh, shove it, Sirius," I said, "We both know I can fly better than you any day… Well, under certain circumstances, anyway."

"Oh really? And what would these circumstances be?" he asked, smirking.

"We ride the same brooms, the weather's the same, and I don't have to catch anything!"

"What? No catching? That's an outrage!" Sirius yelled in mock anger, "You have to catch something!"

"Well, catching is stupid! What's the point of catching a ball in midair? Oh, wait! There is none!" and with that angry exclamation I stomped off to join Fred and George and the rest of the Weasley kids, leaving a bewildered group of men behind me.

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><p>Joining them wasn't any better… They all were laughing and joking about Quidditch and they teasedme—playfully, I guess, but that didn't register at the time— about my lack of catching skills. It was when I heard "Wow, Milly! You're parents didn't really teach you anything about sports, now did they?", that I snapped.<p>

"Shut up! SHUT _UP_! My parents are _dead_! Don't you ever say _anything _about them! And why the bloody _hell_ would I even _want_ to learn about sports? _Everyone_ knows that brains are what's most important in getting around in this world, and _they_ are something _I_ have, unlike you blundering idiots!" I screamed, with angry tears beginning their trek down my face.

At that, I hopped on my broom and flew quickly off to the Burrow, leaving everyone's cries behind me. When I reached the front door I threw my broom down, grabbed some Floo powder from the flowerpot on the mantle, threw it in the roaring fire, and shouted, "Potter Residence, Godric's Hollow!" I was swept off into the roaring hurricane of the Floo network, and, to be honest, amidst my tears, I felt that it was more peaceful than being in a conversation with the Weasleys.

When I fell out of the fireplace, I jumped up, ran into my room, slammed the door and locked it, fell to the ground sobbing, and swore not to ever come out, not even when I heard Lily and James enter the house yelling my name.

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><p><strong>So, Milly threw her first bratty fit! Don't worry, things'll get better soon. I'd like to apologize for the EXTREMELY long author's note above, but I feel it was necessary. I do not mean to write Milly as a Mary Sue in a bad way, but I know that some of the best characters are Mary Sues *cough*Harry Potter*cough*. I'm also sorry for the abruptness of this chapter. I was planning on this being the beginning of a longer chapter, but I read the comment about Milly being a bad character by acting too weirdly and perfectly, and I had to upload this part of the chapter. I don't think Milly should act too meanly because she IS two, and they're generally quite nice and innocent. But, as I pointed out earlier, Milly is NOT a normal two year old, both because of her extreme intelligence and the tragedy that marked her early life. Please R it means a ton!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8: Flying Catches and Love

**Hey guys! So, I'm writing this on my dad's laptop as I have nothing to do at work. So here goes, I'm glad you all understand my computer predicament, and I thank all of you for your support, especially Aveline Archer for extending her support in a review (you're too kind). I'd also like to thank Aveline Archer, a nice Guest reviewer (a.k.a.: NY GE Pyromaniac, my FF buddy), BananaLollypop, and thestargazer7 for their extremely nice reviews. Thanks guys! I'm updating because my creative juices are flowing, and I think I can write this chapter now. So here goes, the next installment of Love You Forever.**

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><p><em>Joining them wasn't any better… They all were laughing and joking about Quidditch and they teased me—playfully, I guess, but that didn't register at the time— about my lack of catching skills. It was when I heard "Wow, Milly! You're parents didn't really teach you anything about sports, now did they?", that I snapped.<em>

_"Shut up! SHUT UP! My parents are dead! Don't you ever say anything about them! And why the bloody hell would I even want to learn about sports? Everyone knows that brains are what's most important in getting around in this world, and they are something I have, unlike you blundering idiots!" I screamed, with angry tears beginning their trek down my face._

_At that, I hopped on my broom and flew quickly off to the Burrow, leaving everyone's cries behind me. When I reached the front door I threw my broom down, grabbed some Floo powder from the flowerpot on the mantle, threw it in the roaring fire, and shouted, "Potter Residence, Godric's Hollow!" I was swept off into the roaring hurricane of the Floo network, and, to be honest, amidst my tears, I felt that it was more peaceful than being in a conversation with the Weasleys._

_When I fell out of the fireplace, I jumped up, ran into my room, slammed the door and locked it, fell to the ground sobbing, and swore not to ever come out, not even when I heard Lily and James enter the house yelling my name._

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><p>"Milly!"<p>

"MILLY!"

"GODDAMNIT! MILLY! Where are you?"

That last one was from James, obviously. This had been going on for five minutes since they had flooed home... I think that the stress of having an angry child run out on them was blocking the Potters' common sense. They hadn't even checked my room yet! But, I felt really bad about putting them under so much duress, especially with them being chased by Voldemort, or You-Know-Who as some liked to call him. I don't think they realized that I knew that about them yet, but people always seemed to forget my intelligence when they remembered that I was a two year old girl. I used that to my advantage sometimes.

But, even as I wanted to leave my room and allieve their fear, more sobs wracked my body and I remembered why I was in there in first place. My _parents_... were _dead. _And, even though the Potters were amazing people and I loved them so much, nothing could fully replace what I lost. There would always be a hole in my heart for my parents, no surrogate family would ever be able to fill that up. I had been feeling sorrow and despair about my parents' deaths for ages, but I thought I was doing well at controlling my grief and accepting the matter. But that comment at the Weasleys had driven me over the edge and shown me how far away from acceptance I was. I broke, I ran, and now I was here on the floor of my room sobbing.

Sobbing for my parents.

Sobbing for my home.

Sobbing for the pain I'd caused the Potters.

Sobbing for the pain I felt myself.

Sobbing for _me_.

I just wanted to be alone and wallow in my grief, but I knew that that was impossible. And, even as the thoughts of solitude began to cross my mind, I heard the Potters rush up the stairs, finally coming to their senses as to where I would be. And in a split-second, they were at my door, knocking relentlessly.

"Go away!" I wailed.

The knocking didn't stop.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I screamed.

The knocking only got harder.

My head was spinning, I was under that much duress. I found that I couldn't speak in more than a whisper, so I let out my last quiet plea for solitude, "Please, I'll come out in the morning. Just let me be for tonight."

The knocking ceased.

"Ok, Milly," Lily sighed.

"But, I'll be holding you up to that promise. You need to get out of your room by tomorrow morning, ok?" That was from James.

I let out a small noise of assent, and I heard James whisper, "Ok." They left me in my tears, and I drifted off into a lazy, fitful sleep.

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><p>Of course, that uncomfortable doze didn't last too long. It was midnight when I woke up feeling cramped and lightheaded. I was still in the clothes I wore to the Weasleys, which were now damp and uncomfortable from all my tears. So, I slipped out of my clothes and donned my comfy pajamas. I moved to my huge, soft bed to get some real sleep, but as I tossed and turned for what felt like hours, my stomach kept growling. I knew I wouldn't be able to get to sleep until I ate something, so I quietly slipped into the kitchen hoping to grab a bite to eat unnoticed.<p>

Of course, I should have known that the Potters wouldn't have left me alone after today's debacle. As I was about to leave my room, I heard James whisper from the kitchen, "Lily, go to sleep now, you need to rest for the baby. I'm sure Milly wouldn't like you to overexert yourself." Lily let out a muffled protest, but James convinced her to go upstairs and get some sleep. I heard her footsteps as she climbed up the stairs. They stopped at where my door was, so I let out a small, "I'm okay, I'll see you in the morning. I could almost see her worried nod as she continued on to her and James' room.

I now knew that I wouldn't be able to get some food without being confronted, but my hunger won out and I trudged downstairs to face James.

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><p>When I got down the stairs, the kitchen light was on, and I knew I was going to have to talk to James, but I figured that he wouldn't judge me. So, I entered the kitchen and grabbed a slice of apple pie, knowing James was watching me the whole time. Then, I turned and finally acknowledged James with a small nod as I made to eat my delicious pie.<p>

When I was halfway into my slice, he sighed and said, "Milly, you're going to have to talk to us sometime."

After finishing my mouthful, I replied, "I know, I was just waiting 'til I finished. You shouldn't talk with your mouth full, you know. It's rude." His lips quirked up a tiny bit at that.

"I'm fine," I continued when I was done with my slice, "I just've been going through a lot, as you know, and I kinda cracked at a comment. Everything would've been fine if I could just catch and throw. No one would ever have teased me then, and my parents never would've been brought up, and I wouldn't have cracked because I was disappointed and sad. Funny, isn't it... my lack of motor skills leading to this meltdown?"

James gave me a sad smile, "It's not funny Milly, but I'm glad you finally let yourself be sad. That's part of accepting what happened, trust me I know."

"How would you know?"

"My friend, Marlene McKinnon, was killed by the Death Eaters two years ago. She was really close to me and Lily, Sirius too. It really hurt."

"Oh, I'm sorry..." I trailed off, but against my better judgement I continued, "It feels awful to lose a friend. I would know, as I lost _two _friends, parents, and role models in one blow."

"Oh, Milly..." this time, he trailed off. Then he opened his arms and said "C'mere."

I entered his comforting embrace easily, and I relaxed as he rocked me. "Losing someone is never easy. And losing _both _parents at your age, has got to be the most awful thing in the world, even for a two year old as intelligent and mature as you. But, we've all got to grieve, get up, and accept that part of our lives. It takes some people, months, heck, it's taken Sirius years, but acceptance of losses like death is a natural part of life. It's a tragedy, but in the end, it only makes you stronger."

I nodded into his chest, and he continued rocking me. After a long stretch of comfortable silence, he said, "I think we can fix that catching problem of yours, though. I wasn't the best Chaser and Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team at Hogwarts for nothing, you know. So, what do you say? Do you want me to make you the best chaser Hogwarts'll ever see?"

I looked up at his smiling face and nodded eagerly.

"Great, you're a natural flier, so that won't be a problem. All we need to do is bring your catching up to par, and no one will be able to beat you. You'll be perfect."

"Awesome, because I can't stand to be less than perfect at anything, catching included."

"Don't worry, we'll get you there."

"How 'bout we start now?"

"Now?"

"Yea, now, it's not like I'm going to be tired enough to sleep any time soon, and this is a wizarding village and it's one in the morning, so the chances of muggles seeing us are slim to none!"

He smiled at my enthusiasm, and simply said, "Ok, let's start now."

Then, my face fell at a sudden thought. I voiced it, "But, I don't have a broo-"

My thought was cut off when I saw James pull out and hold up my broom, which I had so carelessly thrown aside at the Weasleys' fireplace, smiling. My face broke into a wide grin, and I said, "Ok, let's go."

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><p>When we flew up into the air, all traces of sleep left me, and I began to fly and spin through the air. I loved this feeling, and I wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. Sadly, my freestyle flying had to be cut short by James pulling out a soft ball to throw and catch. He looked at me and said, "You ready?"<p>

I nodded in response, my face set with determination. I was going to catch that ball. He threw it, and I... _missed_. It flew passed my outstretched hand and swiftly began falling to the ground. James and I both dove after it, and I caught it a few feet off the ground, pulling out of my dive and avoiding near death.

"Well," he said breathlessly, "at least we know that you can try out for seeker if this Chaser thing doesn't work out... Let's try again."

This time, he threw it with such an immense force that I didn't even get time to hold my hand out to catch it before it zoomed past me. I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose, but I could see it heading at at a precarious speed to James and Lily's window. I knew that Lily would definitely not take well to being woken up by a ball smashing through her window, but I knew I wouldn't be able to catch it. I had no idea what to do until I saw a bat laying on the ground. Knowing what I had to do, I dove for the bat, and swerved in front of the zooming ball's path, hitting it as hard as possible in James' direction. He caught in his outstretched hand and laughed, "Or a Beater."

He threw it again with the same amount of force in the same direction, and I wasn't so sure it was an accident this time. The ball was too close to the window for me to grab the bat and hit it away from a resting Lily this time, so I had no choice but zoom after the ball and try to catch it. I swerved in front of the window, set my face again, and moved to catch the speeding ball, and this time _I caught it_!

I caught it!

Yes!

I was elated and let out my happiness in a victory lap around the garden, and when I got back to James, he was laughing and smiling too. "Ready to try again?" he asked.

"Definitely."

We spent hours out there, I still missed some catches and sometimes my throws were a little off, and that still bothered me. But, I knew that I was a hundredfold times better now than I was when I started. And I knew, that with James' help, I could definitely be the best Quidditch player at Hogwarts when I got there.

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><p>When the sun began to come up, I threw my last throw and made my last catch of the morning. James and I both flew down, and we headed in smiling. When we got in the kitchen, we saw a now smiling Lily sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of warm tea. "Feeling better?" she asked me.<p>

"Definitely," I said, nodding. "I like Quidditch again... I'm getting better."

"I'm glad, I just want to make sure you know that you can always come to James or me for help, advice, or comfort whenever you need it. I know you're not our biological child, and I wouldn't dream of _ever_ replacing your parents. But, I feel that your like our own child, and I love you, and so does James. You'll be just as loved as this one here when he comes out," Lily said, placing her hand on her enlarged belly.

I smiled and said, "Thanks Lily. You guys are the best thing that've happened to me in a while, and I love you too. I'll make sure to come to you whenever I have a problem." At this, James and I both stifled yawns. Lily, catching this, said, "Alright you two, off to bed! You've spent all night up, and I can't have two of my favorite people dead on their feet."

I chuckled tiredly and trudged out of the kitchen with James, but neither of us could reach the stairs. We collapsed on the living room couch, and fell asleep there, with Lily joining us soon afterwards. It was one of the most restful sleeps I've ever had.

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><p><strong>Yay! Everyone's happy again! Including my cherished readers, I hope. Milly's going to be just fine for a long while. Now, I probably won't be updating too much for a while because school is starting soon, and I have two AP tests on the same day! Plus, I have that computer problem (I'm on my dad's laptop right now) AND I probably will be continuing working in the lab this school year. But, I promise I'll make time to update, I love this story and I love you guys too much to stay away for too long. But, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please tell me what you thought of it in a review! ;)<strong>


	9. Chapter 9: Name Game

**What's this? An update? From mspstar97 on Love You Forever? SHUT THE COMMON ROOM DOOR! I know, I know, I haven't updated in a while, and I'm sorry about that. But, I have been busy with school and whatnot. I'll try to be better about that in the future, but let me thank NY GE Pyromaniac, Aveline Archer, and xXAllegedAngelXx who reviewed the last chapter. Also, thanks to Spellshadow98 who reviewed the first chapter. Now, without further delay, on with the story! Enjoy!**

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><p>Lily, James, and I lived comfortable lives from then on—well, as comfortable of lives as one can lead when living in a period of war against a dark wizard. We got along so well and peacefully that I sometimes forgot that there would be a new addition to the family very soon. But, of course, Lily and James always seemed to remind me of that at the weirdest times. One time, a few weeks after James began training me to become 'the best Chaser Hogwarts has ever seen', they reminded me of that fact in the <em>very<em> early morning, so early that it some call it night—3 AM.

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><p>"<em>Why<em> the bloody _hell_ would you think of naming him _or_ her Elvendork?!" Lily shouted.

"It's unisex!" was James's indignant retort.

"Well, I'll tell you what it is… _bloody stupid_. People will laugh at our baby for years because of that name, and I will not stand for you putting our child up for _years_ of torture!"

"Well, I didn't realize that being logical and planning for both options both quickly and efficiently was a bad thing. Elvendork covers everything, and when we pick it, we'll be done with this blasted stuff for good!"

James was obviously going slightly mad from lack of sleep because even I cringed at the end of his response, knowing that Lily was going to be starking mad. And she was.

"_James. Charlus. Potter._ We will NOT be naming our child Elvendork; I don't care if it is unisex or not! How _dare _you act like this is something we can just do carelessly? How DARE you treat my opinion as neglible? And _WHY_ do you not want to have another baby with me?!" came Lily's rather loud wailing response. She, I presumed, was also experiencing the maddening effects of lack-of-sleep…or now that I think about it, it was probably the pregnancy hormones.

"W-what?" James asked, bewildered, "Why would you think that I wouldn't want to have another baby with you Lily?"

"B-because you said that once we're done with this _blasted stuff_, we're done with it _for good_! That means forever! That means you never _ever_ want to have another child with me again!" By this point, she was all-out bawling, and I imagined her throwing herself into James arms, pounding him, albeit weakly, with her fists. Yup, lack-of-sleep and pregnancy hormones are two things that you should never combine.

Of course, James, always the great husband, wrapped Lily up in his arms and shushed her until her sobs subsided and then whispered to her, "Of course I would love to have another baby with you Lily! I love you! You _know_ how much I love you. I just want to get through this one peacefully before I think about a new one. You know, get one thing done right instead of messing up two things by doing both halfheartedly. And, ok, we won't be naming our baby Elvendork. We're just going to have to look for some new and better names. This naming stuff may feel bloody awful now, but by the time we're done, our child will have the best name at Hogwarts."

By this time, I had crept up to their room (bad idea, I know!) and was finishing my eavesdropping. Hey! I was already awake because of their row, so I was definitely going to finish listening to their conversation. I know eavesdropping's a bad habit, but I would have had to hear their row anywhere in the house because of my "super-hearing" so listening up close was better than my other option—listening in bed while fruitlessly trying to get to sleep. James was finishing whispering quiet comforts in Lily's ear, and I was sure she was smiling in his embrace by then. "Don't worry Lily, we'll find the right name. How 'bout we get started in the morning… Merlin knows we need some more sleep and I wouldn't be surprised if our row hadn't woken Milly up."

At this I pushed the door open and said, "It did."

James and Lily both looked at me with looks of amused surprise on their faces. I struggled to stifle a yawn and continued, "I heard you yelling, you were very loud by the way.I couldn't sleep at all, but then I listened to the conversation. I couldn't help it, you _know_ I hear better than most! Sorry 'bout that by the way. But now, I was wondering, can I sleep here? I don't really want to go back to my room in the dark." I finished off with a huge yawn, one much too big for me to stifle.

James and Lily smiled at my little speech, and Lily said, "Of course you can, Milly. Hop in." She opened the covers, and I jumped in between her and James. James reached over to switch off the lights, and soon enough we were all fast asleep.

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><p>When I woke up the next morning, sunlight was streaming through the window blinds, and I was alone in the bed. James and Lily had probably left me to sleep a little more. When I went downstairs, I saw James and Lily surrounded by name books and plates of pancakes at the breakfast table. They were obviously taking the naming business very seriously, especially James—this was the first time I'd ever seen him not completely occupied by a plate of pancakes. Their discussion, which had obviously been going on since they'd woken up.<p>

"Molly Phyllis?"

"No, too stuffy. For a boy, Ryan Jonathan?"

"Meh… Sylvia Joanna?"

"Nuh-uh…um… well…"

"Rose Julia?"

"Nope," I said, popping in, "Julia Rose sounds better. You should use that if it's a girl… Or maybe Luna Lily or something like that… Flowers are nice."

Lily and James looked up at me, then at each other. "Julia Rose…" James said, "Julia Rose Potter. I think that sounds good. Don't you Lily?"

Lily laughed and said, "Oh yeah, but I did like Luna Lily. But I do admit, I like Julia Rose better."

"Then it's settled, we'll name our child Julia Rose Potter." That came from James whose face looked relieved.

"What if it's a boy?" I asked.

James' elated look faded quickly, and he said, "We'll name him Julia Rose too."

I laughed and shared a look with Lily who said, "We most certainly will not James Potter! We will find a brilliant name for our child if it's a boy, and we will find it now!" Her voice trailed off as she looked at the books again, a look of tired resignation began to pass over her face.

"Or, we could look _after_ we eat breakfast. I'm starving, and I'm sure you are too. James' plate has barely been touched!" I said.

James chuckled and said, "OK, after breakfast it is." Lily began to protest, but, just then, her stomach let out a loud rumble, proving James' point. "We'll think much better when we're full."

So, then, with a flick of his wand, James cleared the table of all the books and then went to get me some pancakes as I left to go get the orange juice and Lily to go get the maple syrup and powdered sugar. The table was set, and we ate in silence until we were all completely full and content.

When we were all done, James clapped his hands together and said, "Alright! Time to get back to work!"

We opened the name books once again.

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><p>"We should name it, if it's a boy, Sirius!"<p>

"No."

"Fine, Remus, then."

"_No_, James."

"Aww c'mon Lily… Peter."

"Well… Peter is a nice name…"

"Yeah! That's the spirit Lily!"

"Absolutely not," I cut in, "You cannot be serious… Don't name him after your friends! Nuh-uh… it'll lead to weird expectations and identity crises… probably when he's a teenager."

At that, James and Lily just looked at me funny. Lily smiled, and James shook his head and said, "Milly, sometimes you're too smart for your own good. Fine…no Marauder namesakes."

He looked so disappointed after that, so I sighed and said, "You could have a Marauder middle name, but I still don't think it should be Sirius, Remus or Peter."

"Fine," he sulked. A grown man sulking! Ha! It was hilarious! Still sulking he continued, "Let's go back to looking for first names."

And we did, James, Lily, and I voicing suggestions while at least one of us turned it down.

"Arnold?"

"Ugh no. Too prissy,"

"Regulus?"

"What are you thinking Milly? That's a constellation! Not to mention Sirius' brother!"

"Oh…awkward."

That elicited a few chuckles.

We went on for hours like this, some of names being Caelum (too exotic- James), Landon (too preppy- me), and the ever infamous Elvendork (UGH! GOD NO! BE SERIOUS JAMES!- Lily, as James and I were howling with laughter). The task was tedious, but after hours on end of searching, I came across a name which seemed to fit just right.

"How 'bout this one… Harry. It means to be a leader and has kind, noble, and popular connotations."

James and Lily both looked toward the passage I was pointing at.

"Hmm…Noble. Chivalrous. Courageous. I like it…sounds like the perfect Gryffindor name!" James said.

"James, don't set out house expectations for our child before it's even born! But, I do like it… Very nice."

"Ok, so Harry for the first name then? Alright so now for the middle name to fill the blank in Harry "blank" Potter."

We smiled and busied ourselves in the naming books again. But it was hopeless, nothing we found sounded good with Harry or suited everyone else's tastes. We were nearing our wit's end.

"Oh this is hopeless! Damn this bloody thing!" James shouted as he tossed his fourth naming book down into the formidable pile of used naming books.

"James! Language! And pick that book up and get back to work!" That was from Lily, obviously.

I ran my hands through my hair and let out a weary sigh, this search was becoming more dire by the second as names were being reused and re-rejected. Tempers were running high when I thought back to James' suggestions about Marauder names. I still didn't like the idea of having their names in the kid's name, not because I didn't like them but because I didn't want little Harry (if the baby indeed was a boy) to feel the need to compete in his father's eyes for affection because of his name. But, then I thought, "_What about James?"_ James was a good name and it fit well with Harry as a first name so I threw it out there.

"James? Are you sure Milly? What about the whole identity complex thing?"

"It's less potent when named after an immediate family member instead of a parent's friend, which can lead to a competitive nature and low self-esteem."

"Oookaaay… well, Harry James Potter does sound nice. Plus, James is a great name, I would know. Lily?"

"I agree. It's a nice sounding name, and he'll always have a piece of us with him wherever he goes. I like it."

"So, it's agreed?" James said, "If the baby's a boy we will name him—"

I finished for him, "Harry James Potter"

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><p><strong>Well, finally another chapter of LYF is complete! And Harry's existence is finally acknowledged! I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you'll let me know what you think in a review, yes I'm still asking because I'm getting a ton of hits and favorites and follows but only a few reviews from chapters. I LOVE HEARING FROM YOU GUYS! Please make me happy! Of course, I'll love you for reading too; it just helps me to know that you're enjoying it as well. Anyway, I'll try to update as frequently as possible, but I don't know how quickly I'll be able to get the next chapter out with school and my charity work. <strong>

**I've started the Livingh Hope Club, and we're trying to raise money and awareness about the issue of female infanticide and sex-selective feticide. People are killing off girls JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE GIRLS! And I, as well as the rest of the members of my club/charity, more than 40 MILLION girls are "missing" in India alone. If you share my sentiments and want to help save the world's disappearing daughters please visit our website ( .org). I don't know if Fanfiction will let you see the link I just wrote down, so I'll write it here with spaces .org. I'd love to hear from you!**


	10. Chapter 10: Art, Family, and Boys

**Hello there! Remember me? mspstar97? The author of this fic? It's been a while, hasn't it. So, I'd just like to thank Erin, NY GE Pyromaniac, thestargazer7, BananaLollypop, Aveline Archer, and xXallegedangelXx for reviewing. On with the story!**

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><p>It was 9 pm on a humid June night, and I was in the kitchen while James and Lily were having a murmured conversation by the stove. I was drawing…well I was <em>trying<em> to draw a picture of my family and home. Of course this was hard for me to do, not just because my drawing skills were quite rudimentary, but also because I just couldn't figure out what to draw in the picture. Should I draw my real Mommy and Daddy? Our house and neighborhood? Or should I draw Lily and James at Godric's Hollow? Or even the baby?

The solid fact of the matter was that I had no real idea as to where I belonged. I knew that I loved my parents, my _biological_ parents, with all my heart. They did everything they could for me, and I was extremely grateful that I was granted the ability to remember the two, nearly three, years of my life that I spent with them. I loved them, and I missed them dearly. But, then there were Lily and James. They'd taken me in like I was their own, like I was no different than the baby they were expecting. They introduced me to a world which was unimaginable. They helped me discover my magic, and I loved them too. But, I couldn't help but feeling that if I thought of the Potters as family, I would be betraying my parents in some way. And that confused me...which drove me absolutely bonkers. I **don't** get confused. But, nonetheless, I was confused in that situation. I needed to think, but you didn't get much space to think in the Potter household. So, as I was pondering my dilemma, James and Sirius were making a ruckus on the stairs.

* * *

><p>"Come and get it, Prongsie!"<p>

"Padfoot, get your arse back here! Give me that cloak!"

"Erm…uh…Prongs, won't Lily kill you for yelling at this time of night?"

"Ah who cares about that Peter—"

"WHAT?! JAMES POTTER KEEP THAT BLOODY RUCKUS DOWN, OR I WILL PERSONALLY COME DOWN THERE TO STOP YOU FROM EVER MOVING AGAIN!"

"Language, Lilykins! You're always telling Prongs to tone it down!"

"SIRIUS BLACK, IF EITHER YOU OR THE REST OF YOUR _STUPID_ FRIENDS EVER WANT TO HAVE CHILDREN, I SUGGEST YOU SHUT UP!"

James and Sirius looked at each other and burst into laughter; Remus smiled, and Peter just looked scared.

When they didn't stop laughing, the stairs creaked and a wild looking Lily came down pointing her wand at the foursome. "Shut. Up. NOW!" she yelled, "Or I swear to Merlin, I will hex you to hell and back!"

James looked panicked, and he quickly raised his hands in defense and approached Lily saying, "Ok, sorry Lily. We took it too far." When she shot him a look, he said, "No! I mean it, we'll shut up now. And I'll do anything you need. You want me to go make you some tea? Yes? Great, I'll just go make it in the kitchen…erm…right now!" He scurried off to the kitchen with his mates in tow, all of whom were offering up apologies with their eyes warily watching Lily's wands.

"Cowards," I scoffed.

They stiffened, but I think they decided that it wasn't worth it to go back and face Lily's (and possibly my) wrath to defend their already bruised egos so they just scuttled into the kitchen without stopping to fight. Lily just chuckled, apparently over her fit of rage, and said, "Yes they are. Yes they are indeed. Sorry, you had to see that, and I'm sorry that I used those words. I usually don't. It's just these _blasted_ hormones! They've been getting extremely out of control lately. I dunno what's wrong, probably because I'm so far along…ah well, I'll think about it later. What're you doing?"

"Just drawing a picture."

"Oooh, can I see?" I nodded and handed it to her saying, "It's not much, I'm trying to draw a picture of my family, but I'm not sure what to put on there, you know?"

After she looked at me and gestured for me to elaborate, I continued, " I mean, it's like I've had these two lives. The one before my parents were killed and the one after that and I'm not sure where I belong. I mean I loved my parents, still do. They did everything to protect me. They _died_ to protect me. But then there's you and James. I don't know _where_ I'd be without you. You've shown me love and kindness that I would never in a _million_ years believed a stranger would bestow upon me. But you did, and I feel at home here. And with Remus and Sirius. Peter and the Weasley's too, I guess. So, I guess I'm kind of conflicted; I feel like I'd be betraying my parents if I moved on, you know?"

She nodded in understanding and said, "I know how you feel. I went through something like that when I got my Hogwarts letter. My parents were so happy, shocked, but happy. But, my sister, she was a different case. She and I were very close, but this…this new life that I was about to start drove an incorrigible wedge into our relationship. I became more engrossed with my magical life and she her muggle life. In the end, I felt like I was living two lives, a muggle and a magical one, and that Tuney, Petunia—my sister, was making me choose. I guess I did choose, in a way, but not until Petunia had driven every single one of my attempts to reconcile away. I still talk to my parents, shop at muggle shops, and have muggle friends. I like to think I have a bit of both lives in me. But, for you, it's even bigger than a change from being muggle to magical. You've lost your parents and your whole way of life. And I would _never_ tell you to forget about your parents and choose us. I know that you love us, and want you to know that we, _all of us_…Peter, Sirius, Remus, and the Weasleys too, love you. We'd do anything for you. You're family now. But, don't feel like you have to choose. Your parents will always be with you at heart, and you'll always love them. You're not betraying them by living your life and embracing what comes to you, you're just doing exactly what they'd wanted you to have done. I don't see any reason as to why _all_ of us can't be your family. Do you?"

I shook my head and smiled as Lily pulled me into a hug. "Thank you," I said, "You're absolutely right. Though I don't know how I'm going to fit all of you onto the page, especially if I put the baby on there too, but I'll manage."

Lily chuckled and said, "You're magical, don't you ever forget that. And being magical can be very useful for the littlest things." And with that, she swiped her wand over my paper, making it twice as large. I smiled at her and began drawing.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, I was almost done. Everyone was on the picture. There was a sea of red where the Weasleys were (we had made up about the fight a month or so ago). Remus, Sirius, and Peter were all standing there with big smiles on their faces. Brooms and quaffles were scattered everywhere, not to mention bludgers, snitches, and beater's bats. And finally, James, Lily, and my parents were all standing with their arms around me. All I had left was to draw the baby. As I didn't know whether the baby was a boy or girl, I just decided to draw a bundle in my hands with small face peeking out. As I was finishing drawing, James and Lily came out of the kitchen and looked at my picture. I looked up after putting my finishing touches on it and asked, "You think I did the baby justice?", pointing at the bundle of sheets and sleeping face in my picture-self's arms.<p>

Lily smiled and nodded and said, "Definitely. You're a great girl, Milly, and you're going to make a great older sister to this baby, I just know it."

James nodded in agreement and said, "If you're done, I'm just going to frame this and put it up. Our first kid's first piece of art! A lot of firsts, don't you think?"

I giggled a bit and handed my picture to James, who, with a flourish of his wand, framed the picture. He then levitated it to the living room, where everyone else was sitting, and hung my picture right on living room wall.

"Awww…_Prongsie! _ Did you draw that for us?! Really? Naw, you shouldn't have!"

"Haha, Padfoot. I can't draw and have no artistic talent whatsoever. This was drawn by Milly."

"Who also has no artistic talent whatsoever," I chimed in.

"Nonsense, I know who these people are! I mean their recognizable! You're no Da Whotsit, but still, nice work, tiny. Though, I don't think you did me justice."

"It's _Da Vinci_, Sirius, and…erm…thanks. Though, I'm going to be honest. I was extremely kind about my depiction of you. You look remotely good looking in my picture!"

"Your words wound me. Do you not _see_ this bicep? Or this luscious hair? Or my beautiful chiseled face? Or my rock hard abs?"

"No, Sirius, I see none of that. And even if you did have 'rock hard abs'. Why the bloody hell would I ever want to see them?"

"Milly, language!" Lily piped in.

"Oops." I smirked.

"Whatever, Milly. You clearly don't understand what a good looking man is. You'll get that when your older."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever Sirius."

"Oh no, you don't. You are never going to find a boy attractive in your life. Boys are bad. You don't need them. They are ALL UGLY! You got that?" James said, kneeling down so he could look me in the eye.

"Okaaaaaaaaaaay, but that _is_ a part of growing up, and, whatchamacallit, puberty, you know. So, _eventually_, I'm going to grow up, and I'm going to find boys attractive. You _do _realize that, right James?"

"No! Boys are not, and will _never_ be attractive! Got it? NO BOYS FOR YOU?!" He was hyperventilating at that point.

"James, shut up! Don't listen to him, Milly. You can find boys attractive whenever you feel like it, just so long as it doesn't get in the way of your studies."

"I wasn't planning on it. But, don't you think that this is a conversation we should be having, I don't know, _years _from now?"

"Well, who knows what'll be going on years from now, so I'm getting this in your brain now. Boys are icky, got it?" James said with a fervent craze in his eyes.

"Okay, James. Boys are icky. Except for Fred and the rest of the Weasleys…they're not icky…" he was hyperventilating again, "James, calm down! I got it. Boys, icky. Milly, no like boys. James, happy?" I said, resorting to caveman methods in order to get to him.

"Okay," he said, nodding and breathing a sigh of relief. He then turned and looked at the rest of his friends, the Marauders, "We're safe for now. It's only the rest of her life to go." They looked back at him with various mixtures of amusement and seriousness on their faces and nodded.

Lily and I just looked at each other and started laughing.

* * *

><p><strong>So...how ya doin'? I hope none of you are too mad at me for not updating for months. I am truly sorry about that. It's just that life got in the way of everything and writing wasn't possible for me. Things'll still be slow on the updating front, though I will say, the plot will begin moving fairly soon. Please leave me a review, even if it is just to yell at me for not updating for so long. Just, please be polite in your criticism (of the fic), I don't want to have to delete any more rude anon reviews. Thanks for sticking around!<strong>


	11. Chapter 11: Flooing, Awkwardness, Harry

**So, I'm finally back! And, I am so sorry for the long wait. It's been months. There is no excuse for my long absence, just that so many things happened and writing was on the backburner for me. I hope that there are still people out there who are interested in this story. Thank you to my readers, and to my reviewers, specifically, to potterphilosepher, writeyourcaresaway, GoldenKeeper2657, and thestargazer7 for reviewing during my long leave of absence. I wrote an especially long chapter for you guys, and I hope you can power through it. And, a heads up, this is one of the last chapters of exposition. The plot is coming! The plot is coming! Now, without further ado, on with the story!**

* * *

><p>It was a quiet night in the Potter household. James and I had been out practicing Quidditch for a while and we had just called it a night. Lily obviously was too tired to cook anything so James and I had assembled a variety of snack food for us all to eat in the living room while we amused ourselves. It was quite relaxing, honestly.<p>

So, I was in for a shock when, just as I was turning the page of my favorite novel, Lily gasped and dropped the plate of waffles she was holding. James and I both started at the crash, and he immediately rushed to Lily's side.

"What's wrong Lily?" he asked frantically.

Lily said, "I think my water broke," before doubling over and clutching her stomach in pain.

"Milly! Floo Padfoot and tell him the baby's coming! Tell him I'm off to St. Mungo's, he'll know what to do!" James quickly commanded me. And at my shocked look, he added, "_Quickly_, Milly."

Jolting out of my shocked state, I rushed to the fireplace, tossed some Floo Powder into the flames, jumped in, yelled "Sirius's place", and was engulfed by the emerald green flames.

* * *

><p>The sight I beheld when I stumbled out of Sirius's fireplace was not one that should be viewed by <em>any<em> two year-old. No matter _what_ said two year-old's maturity level is. Sirius was half-naked and furiously going at it with some equally naked blond. For the second time that night, I froze in shock. Then after a second of utter revulsion, I yelled, "Sirius! The baby's coming and James and Lily are off to St. Mungo's!"

Sirius tore himself away from the blond and immediately clothed their bodies with a flick of his wand. "_Milly_," he said, aghast, "You don't just Floo in unexpected! If you do that, you witness what you've just seen. Oh _Merlin_, James is going to _kill_ me for corrupting you." He kneeled down in front of me and said, "You saw _nothing_. You hear me? Nothing! You're going to forget about this. I'm going to forget that you witnessed this. And James and Lily will never have to know about my corrupting your innocence... Sorry about that by the way."

I just blinked at him. He seemed to take that as my assent and then said, "So, what did you say when you got in? Sorry, I couldn't hear you what with the shock and everything."

"The baby's coming and James and Lily are off to St. Mungo's."

"Holy shit! Bloody, buggering hell! Merlin's bloody sagging _X-fronts!_ The baby's _coming?!_"

"Erm, yes. And surprisingly, James was _much_ calmer than you about this. He said you'd know what to do."

When Sirius just stared at me, unblinkingly, I slapped his arm and yelled, "SIRIUS, snap out of it! What do we do?!"

He jumped at my words and said, "Right, right. Sorry about that. One sec, Milly, I'll just get a few things out of the way and then we'll get going."

I rolled my eyes and replied, "Well, _hurry_. I'm not about to miss my baby sibling being born."

"You do realize you won't be seeing the actual giving of birth, right?"

"Obviously. I _meant_ being able to see him. Merlin, just get going, Sirius."

"Whatever, tiny."

I just tapped my foot impatiently in response. He turned to the blond who was blushing tomato red at this point and said, "Sorry Abigail, we're going to have to cut this short. My best friend's wife is having a baby right now, and I have to go and support them. So, maybe some other time?"

"Erm…yeah," said the blond, Abigail, squirming, "I'll, erm, just be going now. Good luck with y'know the baby and all…erm yeah." And with that, she rushed to the fireplace and Flooed to…the _Lucky_ _Cat_, I believe. I'm not all too sure, but, in my defense, I was too busy concentrating on what Sirius and I were going to do.

"Right, so now we'll head off to your place and pick up the bag. Then we'll have to stop by the Longbottoms and the Mary's place. Oh, and obviously we have to let Peter and Remus know too," Sirius said while tossing some Floo powder into the blazing flames. When they were emerald green, he gave me a quick pat on the back and said in you go before hopping in after me, gripping my shoulder and shouting, "Potter Residence!"

* * *

><p>When we got out of the fireplace on the other end, almost everything was where we left them. Basically nothing had changed, except for the fact that James and Lily and their wands were nowhere to be found. I had to hand it to James, as comical as he was, he sure knew how to take control of a crazy situation.<p>

"Okay," Sirius said, "I need you to Floo the whole lot while I go put together the bag. When you enter the Floo just say 'Longbottom Manor', 'Mary's Place', 'Remus's Place', and 'Pettigrew Residence' to get to their houses. When you're done telling everyone, just come back here and we'll go together. Can you remember that?" When I nodded in assent, he said, "Well, you know what to do. Off you go, then!"

With that, I jumped into the still-emerald flames, shouted "Longbottom Manor" and was swept into the dizzying depths of the Floo network once more.

* * *

><p>Surprisingly, I managed to get out of the Longbottom fireplace without stumbling, probably because they didn't have that stupid step and because they had a nice railing by the mantle. Of course, my grace didn't last long because, as soon as I stepped out of the flames, I found myself face-to-face with the business end of a wand held by, who I only could assume was Frank Longbottom.<p>

"Who are you? Who sent you? Why are you here?!" he said roughly.

Shocked, I held my hands up in defence, replying, "Lily's having her baby and she and James are at the hospital. Sirius told me to tell Alice and Frank this. _Please don't hurt me!_"

Slightly mollified, he said in a slightly less tone (with his wand still up, mind you), "Ok, well then who are you? And how would you know those people you just talked about?"

"I'm Milly. I live with Lily and James. They took me in because…erm…well…my parents died," I said.

"Oh. I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can trust you. These are rough times we live in, and, well…erm…I'm going to have to look into your mind. If you're really innocent, then you'll let me." He raised his eyebrows in question for my response.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't want a man who I barely knew to see the innermost workings of my mind, but I was scared to death of what this man would do to me if I didn't let him read my thoughts and I still had to get everyone else to the hospital. "_Bloody Sirius, sending me out here without any way of identifying myself"_, I thought. So, in a split-second decision, I nodded in agreement, something that had I done with anyone else at any other time, I would have regretted.

He looked surprised and lowered his wand. "There's hardly anyone I know who would let me see their thoughts, regardless of whether they were who they say are or not."

"Well, I don't think I've been around long enough to have thoughts I would be ashamed for people to see. Not that I want other people peeking around in my mind in any circumstance, though," I replied, "But, just checking, you're not going to read my thoughts, I take it?"

The corners of his lips lifted, and he said, "I'm not actually going to invade your thoughts. That was just a way to test you. If you were more of a suspicious character, I would have. But, seeing as you're only a little girl and have no real reason to harm me, I'm going to assume what you said is true. The name's Frank Longbottom by the way. Though you probably already knew that."

"Well, I kind of figured you were. I didn't really think Alice Longbottom was a bloke's name. But, anyway, are you coming? Because, not to be rude or anything, but I need to let Mary, Remus, and Peter know."

"Oh, yeah. Right you are—what did you say your name was again?"

"Milly," I replied with a smile.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that. I'll just be getting Alice then Milly, wait here."

I nodded and he exited up the spiral staircase at the end of the room, presumably to go get his wife. While he was gone, I amused myself by looking around the room. Longbottom Manor was a fascinating place, and I only saw the living room! The ceilings were arched, and there was a skylight at the center letting me see the full moon and stars in the sky. Not to mention the vast amounts of books in the room. There were shelves everywhere, filled to the brim with books, and the coffee table was covered with novels and magazines. But, the most fascinating thing to me was the portraits. I had read about magical portraits in James' and Lily's, well mainly Lily's, library. They moved and talked just like their original portraits. I found myself gawking at them for a while before one of them, a haughty old lady, barked, "Oi! What're you staring at?"

"Sorry," I quickly replied, "I've just never seen portraits like these before."

"Never seen a portrait? My, my what _has_ happened to the world since I died. Though, you look pretty young, at least you've seen one now."

"Yes, indeed. All of the portraits here are quite beautiful."

"Thank you, young lady. You seem much preferable to the brats of your age that are always running around here and messing up the order of things. I swear, I don't know why my great grandson even bothers to keep them around! He has little Neville now to keep him and Alice company. Honestly—"

The lady's tirade was cut off by Frank's entrance with two other people. Well, a lady, who I presumed was Alice Longbottom, and a baby boy, who I guessed was the little Neville that the old lady in the portrait mentioned.

"Well, we're all ready now," he said, "Milly, this is my wife, Alice, and this is my son, Neville. Just born a bit ago, he was."

"Hello, pleasure to meet you all," I said, in the polite way that my mother had always taught me to.

"It's very nice to meet you, Milly. So, Lily's having a baby? Well, we'd best be on our way then. We'll see you when you get there."

"Bye!"

_Ok, well, one down, three to go! Where did Sirius say to go next? Oh, right, Mary's place. _"Mary's place!" I shouted and the emerald flames engulfed me once more.

* * *

><p>This time, I ended up in a tiny shoebox apartment, and a blond lady was up and running about. When she saw me, an alarmed look came to her eyes and she immediately pointed her wand at me.<p>

Almost expecting this reaction, I held my hands up and yelled, "I'm Milly, and I live with James and Lily. Lily's water broke. Sirius sent me! Don't hurt me! I'm just doing what I was told, and I still have to tell Remus and Peter!"

This lady was much easier to convince than Frank Longbottom. She lowered her wand and walked over to me. "Well, I guess that I should go to St. Mungo's then? I'm Mary by the way, though I'm pretty sure you already knew that. And, no, I'm not a dumb blond. I just am in desperate need to see something go on in my life. Nice to meet you, Milly, see you at Mungo's."

She then hopped into the green flames and shouted, "St. Mungo's!", and she was off.

_Well, that was rather simple. But, who cares, less work for me!_ I jumped into the still-green flames and shouted, "Remus's place" and I was swept away again.

* * *

><p>When I stepped out of the fireplace, I could tell that the place belonged to Remus. The room was filled with books and everything looked well-used. Nothing was too shabby, but nothing was too overdone either. Perfectly subdued, completely Remus.<p>

Of course, when he heard the noise, Remus came running. The war obviously did things to people. When he saw me at the fireplace, the steely glint in his eyes disappeared and he sighed in relief. "Oh, thank Merlin, it's only you Milly. What're you doing here?"

I relayed that Lily was having a baby and that Remus needed to get to St. Mungo's now. He nodded, and with a few parting words, Flooed away. I then Flooed to Peter's place.

* * *

><p>But, Flooing to Peter's place was not as simple as the rest of my fireplace trips. I found myself spinning endlessly in the dusty network of fireplaces only to stop at a blocked fireplace. I could hear a conversation in the place where I supposed Peter's living room was. At first, I didn't pay much regard to the conversation, but then I heard the words "Potters", "Lupin", and "Black". Hearing these words, I became as still as I could, trying to catch as much of this conversation as I could.<p>

"Those blasted people… members of the Order. They'll get what's coming to them when we win. The Dark Lord'll take care of 'em. He'll do it," said a gruff voice at a level that would have been inaudible to anyone without my gift of hearing.

"B-but… they'll be alright if they just comply? They are skilled wizards after all. They would be very valuable to the Dark Lord," this voice sounded like Peter's, and he sounded almost scared. But, why would he be talking about this Dark Lord? Who would the Dark Lord be?

But, their next words really caught my attention. "Well," the gruff voice began, "They're just a bunch of filthy blood traitors. We'd be better off without them. The Potters are expecting a baby and that girl could be quite useful too."

_That girl?_

"Who? Milly? Oh, I doubt it. She doesn't need to be in the way. The real target should be the new child. But, we still should let the Dark Lord do what he wishes. He does know what is best," Peter replied.

Why were they talking about us? Why did Peter act like he wanted us dead and gone? Was he a double agent? _Was he working for Voldemort?_

As these questions bombarded my mind, I felt like the walls were closing in on me. I couldn't breathe. I had to get out of there.

When I tried to get out by pounding on the wood blocking me from my intended destination, I suddenly realized that the sounds coming from Peter's living room had abruptly stopped.

"Bloody hell," the rough voice cursed. And, then I heard a crack, and the room was silent once more.

I was sure I heard some things being swept across the room by magic and Peter's panting. But, after what seemed like an eternity, the fireplace was opened. I tumbled out into Peter's waiting arms, both of us panting for air.

"Peter," I began, still panting from my panic, "Who the _hell_ was _that_?"

Peter dropped his wand, which spewed sparks and set part of the rug on fire. He rushed over to the flames and stomped on them to snuff them. After bending over to pick up his wand, he said, "Y-you heard us?" in a breathless voice with his eyes almost bugging out of their sockets.

"Yes," I replied shortly, "Now tell me who he was and why you were talking about me and everyone else. And don't skirt around this. You were talking about _me_ to a _very_ suspicious character; I think I have a right to know what was going on."

Looking back in hindsight, this probably wasn't the best thing to be doing as, despite his innate clumsiness, Peter was an adult wizard who obviously had some magical prowess, judging by his ability to turn his living room back into an innocent setting in a few seconds, and could have cursed me easily at that time. But, I obviously wasn't thinking clearly, and I just wanted answers. Fortunately, Peter obliged and no harm was done to me at that point.

With his eyes rapidly shifting around the room, Peter said, "Well…you see…I don't know how to tell you this. B-but…I…I'm on a secret mission for the Order! You know, the group Dumbledore formed to fight against You Know Who?"

"Yes, I've heard James and Lily talk about the Order a few times."

"Well, you see, I'm working as a double agent. Y-you know? I'm pretending to work for the other side so that I can get information to give to our side. So we can win! So all of us will be safe and be happy! You get that, right Milly? But it's top secret. So no one can know about this! Only two…now three, including you, know and that's how we need to keep it in order for everything to turn out right. You get that, right Milly?"

"Yes…but shouldn't you tell James and Lily. Or even Sirius or Remus?"

"No! This has to remain between the two of us. It's my first big mission, and it's all on me. I need to keep this top secret so nothing can go wrong! And, I kind of want to be able to say that _I_ did this. On my own. Without my friends' help. Just so that I can say that I am worthy of being a Marauder. That I'm worth something."

I still wasn't completely buying it, but I did understand what Peter was getting at about proving himself. He had always been shoved aside when the other Marauders came in. Though I could easily tell that James, Sirius, and Remus all loved him as a brother, I could also understand his need to prove himself to be as great as his friends. So, even though his story seemed a bit far-fetched, I just nodded and made a mental note to talk to Lily about this later.

Peter, probably sensing my lingering suspicion, immediately jumped onto another topic. "So, what're you doing here?"

That question jolted me out of my suspicions, and I quickly told him, "Lily's having the baby. And James and her need you at St. Mungo's. Like now."

"Oh! O-ok! Yes! I'll be right there! You can go ahead if you'd like."

I nodded and moved to Floo again, but before I could do so Peter said, "But wait, I'll get you some water first," when I tried to protest, he continued, "Judging from the state of your robes, you've been Flooing for ages. Too much of that dust and heat can cause serious…what's it called…erm…dehydration! It's happened to me before. So, you just wait here, and I'll get you some water."

He scurried off into the kitchen before I could get a word in edgewise, and, after some bustling around in the kitchen, he came out with a glass in his hands. He gave the glass to me, and I drank all its contents in one gulp. Looking back, that was probably the worst decision I had ever made—accepting a drink from a shady character…a shady wizard. But, despite being exceptionally brilliant, I was still _two_, and I was impatient and overlooked my better judgment. Right after I drank, my head started to feel a little woozy. I knew where I was, I knew where I had to be, I sort of remembered what I just did. But, something was missing. Something important. About Peter. But, I couldn't remember. As I reentered the flames, all I knew was that something was off about Peter.

"St. Mungo's!"

* * *

><p>My Floo ride to St. Mungo's ridded me of my suspicions for a bit, and, instead, replaced them with slight nausea and dizziness. But, when I hopped out of the green flames and saw the building around me, those feelings flew away, and in rushed the excitement. I ran up to the reception witch and asked, "I'm here for James and Lily Potter. Where do I go?"<p>

"Maternity ward. Third floor."

And, so I rushed up the stairs and down the hall eliciting comments from the portraits lining the walls.

"Oi! Don't hurt yourself there!"

"We _were _trying to sleep, you know."

"Be careful!"

"Don't trip!"

Normally, I would have been fascinated with these portraits. In fact, I probably would have stopped to talk with them, but, in my state of excitement, I could only concentrate on one thing—meeting my baby sibling. I zoomed into the room where Sirius and the others were sitting, obviously waiting for Lily and James to come out.

"Hey there, tiny! Took you long enough!'

"Yeah, yeah. You didn't do anything! You just Flooed straight here. I actually had to go to everyone's house and tell 'em what was going on. And, what the _hell_, were you thinking? I almost died two times tonight. _No one_ knew who I was. They all thought I was a Death Eater or something! I think the…ahem, activities you were…erm, partaking in when I got to your place clouded your judgment."

"Oi! I thought we agreed to forget all about that!"

"Well, that was before I was accosted by the business end of some formidable people's wands!"

"Ok, ok. Yes, I'm sorry. And, I should have come with you, but can you blame me? I really couldn't think! My brother's going to have a baby!"

"Well, actually, I can easily blame you…but I'm not going to because, from previous experience, I know that you can't think more than half of the time. And, I'm just going to let you know, that _James_ isn't the one who's having a baby right now. _Lily's_ having the baby, and James is doing his best not to cry at how hard she's squeezing his hand."

"Fine, well thank you for that kind description of me. I will always cherish your words…Keep them in my heart forever."

"Oh, shove it, Sirius," I said.

"I second that motion," Remus butted in, "Hi, Milly. We saved you a seat. You can talk with everyone later. You need to rest now. You look exhausted. I don't know what Padfoot was thinking, sending you off on your own."

"I have no idea either, but we have established that he doesn't think most of the time anyway, so…"

Remus just chuckled and motioned for me to sit between him and Sirius. I sat down and snuggled between the two of them, drifting off into a nice, restful sleep.

* * *

><p>After what seemed to be only a few minutes, I was awoken by the commotion around me. Apparently the baby had come out, and everyone was bustling around to get a good look at it.<p>

I clumsily tried to push my way through the group, but they were all stronger than me so I had to say quite loudly, "Excuse me, but that's _my_ sibling. I think _I _should be able to at least see him. You lot are in the way."

Sirius gave a snicker, but everyone made some room so that I could move to the front. When I was right next to the door, Sirius was still snickering, so I turned to him and said, "What? I'm two. I'm short! I need to be at the front!"

Before Sirius could poke fun at me, James burst through the door with a bundle in his hand.

"Is it a Harry or a Julia?" I asked.

"Huh?" Everyone else remarked looking down at me.

Sighing, I restated, "Is…it…a _Harry_ …or a _Julia_? You know, a boy or a girl?"

"Oh, right, right! It's a Harry, Milly. Harry James Potter. You have a baby brother, and I have a Potter son! It's a boy!"

The statement caused an uproar of happy exclamations and Padfoot collecting money from some unfortunate soul who lost a bet to him, presumably about the gender of my sibling…brother, now. Of course, all I wanted to do was to see my new baby brother, and, James, sensing this, knelt down to give me the first look.

He was beautiful, that brother of mine. His cheeks were so round, and he looked so peaceful. It was funny to think that we all start out like that, pure and innocent. He was so lovable, and when he gave a little cough in his peaceful state, I laughed and felt a sense of attachment that I hadn't felt many times before. At that moment, I knew that me and this baby, Harry James Potter, and that I would love him and be his big sister forever.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, guys! I hope that was worth the wait. I would like to congratulate those who got through it. I didn't have time to edit because I figured I should upload the chapter sooner rather than later. But, I can tell you this, I appreciate each and every single one of you who is reading this right now-the followers, favoriters, reviewers, or those quiet ones. I can't tell you how much your support and love for this story means to me. Really, you're awesome. I'm currently writing the next chapter so that I don't let you down. Thanks guys!<strong>


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